Overview
The Department of Health and Human Services awards approximately 60% of the Federal Government's grant dollars. HHS awards two types of grants, mandatory and discretionary. Mandatory grants are those that a Federal agency is required by statute to award if the recipient, usually a State, submits an acceptable State Plan or application, and meets the eligibility and compliance requirements of the statutory and regulatory provisions of the grant program. Discretionary grants are those that permit the Federal Government, according to specific authorizing legislation, to exercise judgment, or “discretion,” in selecting the applicant/recipient organization, through a competitive grant process.
Over three quarters of HHS’s budget is comprised of mandatory programs. Medicare, Medicaid, State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) are the largest HHS mandatory programs, providing a total of approximately $600 billion annually in health and human services to over 80 million Americans. Medicare and Medicaid are the nation’s largest health insurance programs assisting States, healthcare providers, and individuals in the provision of adequate health care for those in need. Although Medicare and Medicaid are both entitlement programs, Medicare is directly administered by HHS and State governments.
Direct payments are not currently tracked by TAGGS and are not included in this report.1
Other HHS health programs encompass biomedical research, training of biomedical research scientists and health professionals, support of health professional schools, development and delivery of health services, disease prevention and health promotion programs, and construction of research, educational, and health facilities.
HHS social service programs provide support to every group of Americans, including children, youth, families, and the elderly. As a social service program, TANF provides block grants to States aimed towards the provision of benefits and services to low income families with children. In addition to providing cash welfare benefits to needy families, TANF is used by States to provide a wide range of benefits such as child care and transportation aid, activities that support TANF goals of reducing out-of-wedlock pregnancies, and activities that help support two-parent families.
Other HHS social service programs include refugee assistance, enforcement of child support orders, foster care and adoption, prevention of child abuse and neglect, Indian tribal services, Head Start programs, youth at-risk prevention, and other innovative social service programs and initiatives targeted towards improving the social and economic well being of those in need.
HHS manages its broad range of grant activities in collaboration with its grant recipient partners and through the coordination of its principal grant-making agencies. These twelve HHS operating divisions administer over 300 grant programs.2
The principal grant-making operating divisions (OPDIVs) and Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVS) are:
| Abbreviation | OPDIV |
|---|---|
| ACF | Administration for Children and Families |
| AHRQ | Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality |
| AOA | Administration on Aging |
| CDC3 | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |
| CMS | Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services |
| FDA | Food and Drug Administration |
| HRSA | Health Resources and Services Administration |
| IHS | Indian Health Service |
| NIH | National Institutes of Health |
| ASPE/OS | Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation/Office of the Secretary |
| OPHS/OS | Office of Public Health and Science/Office of the Secretary |
| OGHA/OS | Office of Global Health Affairs/Office of the Secretary |
| ASPR/OS | Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response/Office of the Secretary |
| SAMHSA | Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration |
1TAGGS does not track Medicare direct payments. Medicare direct payments are not included in this report.
2Specific grant programs are identified in this report by their Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) program numbers. A list of HHS and other Federal agencies’ grant and other financial assistance programs is available at the General Services Administration’s CFDA website: http://www.cfda.gov.
3Grant awards made by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) are included in CDC grant funding data.
