The Connecticut DSS Commissioner is Andrea Barton Reeves, who leads the state Department of Social Services and the programs it runs for children, families, older adults, and people with disabilities.1Connecticut Department of Social Services. Who is the Commissioner of the Department of Social Services (DSS)? Under Connecticut General Statutes § 17b-1, the Commissioner is the department head, with authority to adopt binding regulations, sign contracts, accept federal funds, and reshape the agency’s internal structure. The office sits at 55 Farmington Avenue in Hartford.
Who Andrea Barton Reeves Is
Barton Reeves is an attorney. She spent a decade as an attorney for the minor child and guardian ad litem before becoming the founding CEO of Connecticut’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Program in 2020, where she stood up a new state agency during the pandemic.1Connecticut Department of Social Services. Who is the Commissioner of the Department of Social Services (DSS)?
The Governor appoints the Commissioner, and either house of the General Assembly can approve or reject the nomination under C.G.S. § 4-6. If the legislature rejects a nominee, the Governor has ten days to submit a new one. The committee on executive nominations reports back by resolution within fifteen calendar days, and a confirmed nominee typically takes office on March 1.2Connecticut General Assembly. Connecticut Code Chapter 46 – State Appointive Officers
Once in office, C.G.S. § 4-8 lets the Commissioner organize DSS into whatever divisions, bureaus, or units are needed for efficient operation, appoint deputies, and abolish, transfer, or consolidate internal units. Any division required by statute has to stay in place.3Justia. Connecticut Code 4-8 – Qualifications, Powers and Duties of Department Heads
What the Commissioner Has Authority to Do
C.G.S. § 17b-3 lists twenty specific powers and duties. The ones that matter most in practice: the Commissioner can adopt and enforce regulations through the state’s administrative procedures, enter contracts with private entities and up to five other states for service delivery, and accept federal funds on behalf of the state for any program the department administers.4Justia. Connecticut Code 17b-3 – Commissioner of Social Services: Powers and Duties
The statute also charges the Commissioner with processing benefit applications promptly, promoting economic self-sufficiency, coordinating outreach between public and private agencies, and maintaining an inventory of federal and state program data that functions as a clearinghouse for other agencies and municipalities.4Justia. Connecticut Code 17b-3 – Commissioner of Social Services: Powers and Duties
The regulation-making power is the one that reaches into your life. When the Commissioner adopts a regulation through the formal rulemaking process under Chapter 54, it carries the force of law. Eligibility criteria, provider reimbursement rates, and program rules aren’t internal policies you can argue around. They bind applicants, providers, and the agency itself.
Programs the Commissioner Oversees
C.G.S. § 17b-2 designates DSS as the administering agency for a broad set of programs, most funded jointly by the state and federal government.5Connecticut General Assembly. Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 319o – Department of Social Services If your question involves any of these, you’re in the right agency:
- HUSKY Health, which is Connecticut’s Medicaid and CHIP program covering eligible children, parents, caregivers, elders, people with disabilities, and pregnant women.6Connecticut Government. HUSKY Health For Connecticut Children and Adults
- SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which issues monthly food benefits on an EBT card.7Connecticut Department of Social Services. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – SNAP
- Temporary Family Assistance, Connecticut’s TANF cash program for eligible families with children. Adults who can work must participate in Jobs First Employment Services activities.8Connecticut Department of Social Services. Temporary Family Assistance (TFA) Fact Sheet
- Child Support Enforcement under Title IV-D. The Office of Child Support Services within DSS establishes paternity, locates non-custodial parents, sets up support orders, and collects and distributes payments.9Connecticut Department of Social Services. Child Support Overview
- The state supplement to the federal Supplemental Security Income program.
- The Connecticut Energy Assistance Program, funded under the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Act.
- Refugee assistance under the federal Refugee Act of 1980.
- Social Services and Community Services block grants that support local programs.
Child support is worth a note. DSS shares the work with the Office of the Attorney General, Support Enforcement Services in the Judicial Branch, and Family Support Magistrates, but DSS is the designated state agency for federal Title IV-D compliance. The Commissioner is accountable to the federal government for paternity establishment rates, support order establishment, and collections.9Connecticut Department of Social Services. Child Support Overview
If You Disagree With a DSS Decision
If DSS denies your benefits, reduces them, or makes another decision you disagree with, you have the right to request a fair hearing under C.G.S. § 17b-60. The request must be in writing, signed by you or your conservator, and mailed to the Commissioner within 60 days of the decision. You don’t need a lawyer, there is no filing fee, and the request just needs to state in plain language why you believe the decision was wrong.10Justia. Connecticut Code 17b-60 – Fair Hearings by Commissioner
Once your request arrives, DSS must hold the hearing within 30 days and mail you notice of the time and place at least 10 days in advance. Emergency housing denials move faster: the hearing must happen within four business days, with the agency making all reasonable efforts to give you at least one business day’s notice. You must appear personally unless a physical or mental condition prevents it, and you can bring an attorney or other representative. Hearings are recorded, and you can get a transcript free of charge if you appeal.10Justia. Connecticut Code 17b-60 – Fair Hearings by Commissioner
Hearings are run by the Office of Legal Counsel, Regulations and Administrative Hearings, known as OLCRAH.11Connecticut Department of Social Services. Requesting A Hearing The hearing officer is separate from the DSS staff who made the original decision.
How to Contact the Commissioner’s Office
The DSS central office is at 55 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. The address houses several divisions, including policy and regulations, administrative hearings, provider relations, and behavioral health programs.12Connecticut Medical Assistance Program. DSS Mailing Addresses Formal correspondence to the Commissioner should go there.
DSS provides interpreter services at no cost, both in person and by phone, for anyone who prefers a language other than English.13Connecticut Department of Social Services. Does DSS Provide Language Interpreters? Federal law requires agencies that receive HHS funding to offer language assistance under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act.14HHS.gov. Limited English Proficiency (LEP)
One practical point. If you’re writing because you disagree with a benefit decision, don’t send a general letter to the Commissioner and wait. File a fair hearing request with OLCRAH to protect your 60-day deadline, then follow up however you like.