(The Center Square) − Major changes to Louisiana’s welfare and workforce programs officially took effect Wednesday, shifting oversight of key public assistance benefits from the Department of Children and Family Services to the Louisiana Department of Health and the Louisiana Workforce Commission.
The transition is part of a sweeping overhaul lawmakers approved earlier this year through House Bill 624 by Rep. Stephanie Berault, R-Slidell. The measure, signed by Gov. Jeff Landry in June, consolidates the state’s patchwork of social safety net and workforce training programs into a single “One Door” system.
Under the reforms, the Health Department now administers the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Disability Determination Services, and related eligibility functions. The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program and SNAP employment and training services have been shifted to the Workforce Commission. Child Support Enforcement employment and training has also moved out of Family Services.
“The thought is to streamline delivery from the state, but create a case management model – a one-stop process,” Berault said during debate on the bill. “Anything they are eligible for, the case manager will help them get it.”
Officials say the new structure will reduce duplication across agencies and make it easier for residents to receive both benefits and job training under one system.
About 800 state employees process Medicaid eligibility while another 600 manage SNAP eligibility, often for the same households. By consolidating under the Health Department, the state hopes to eliminate redundancies while maintaining compliance with federal requirements.
Louisiana Workforce Commissioner Susana Schowenn told The Center Square the arrangement makes sense.
“LDH is better equipped to handle SNAP benefits,” she said, noting the Workforce Commission will focus on the employment and training side of the program to connect recipients with work opportunities.
The overhaul is modeled after Utah’s system, which once spread 23 workforce programs across six agencies. Audits there – and later in Louisiana – found fragmented oversight left many participants without meaningful outcomes. A 2022 report from Louisiana’s Legislative Auditor found that fewer than 20% of participants in workforce training programs gained employment in their field or saw higher wages.
Landry has framed the reform as part of his broader push to move Louisiana “from dependence to independence.” At the signing ceremony, he said the system would ensure benefits go only to those eligible, while also connecting them to the state’s expanding job market.
“With job openings up 127% statewide, the work is there,” Landry said. “This is why we call it the ‘One Door’ policy – our citizens can apply and receive assistance in moving from dependence to independence, and they do it through employment.”
