{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-194a.030","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 194A.030","heading":"Major organizational units of cabinet.","body":"The cabinet consists of the following major organizational units, which are hereby\ncreated:\n(1) Office of the Secretary. Within the Office of the Secretary, there shall be an Office\nof Legal Services, an Office of Inspector General, an Office of Public Aff airs, an\nOffice of Human Resource Management, an Office of Finance and Budget, an\nOffice of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs, an Office of Administrative Services,\nan Office of Application Technology Services, an Office of Data Analytics, and an\nOffice of Medical Cannabis as follows:\n(a) The Office of Legal Services shall provide legal advice and assistance to all\nunits of the cabinet in any legal action in which it may be involved. The\nOffice of Legal Services shall employ all attorneys of the cabinet wh o serve\nthe cabinet in the capacity of attorney, giving legal advice and opinions\nconcerning the operation of all programs in the cabinet. The Office of Legal\nServices shall be headed by a general counsel who shall be appointed by the\nsecretary with the ap proval of the Governor under KRS 12.050 and 12.210.\nThe general counsel shall be the chief legal advisor to the secretary and shall\nbe directly responsible to the secretary. The Attorney General, on the request\nof the secretary, may designate the general c ounsel as an assistant attorney\ngeneral under the provisions of KRS 15.105;\n(b) The Office of Inspector General shall be headed by an inspector general who\nshall be appointed by the secretary with the approval of the Governor. The\ninspector general shall b e directly responsible to the secretary. The Office of\nInspector General shall be responsible for:\n1. The conduct of audits and investigations for detecting the perpetration of\nfraud or abuse of any program by any client, or by any vendor of\nservices with whom the cabinet has contracted; and the conduct of\nspecial investigations requested by the secretary, commissioners, or\noffice heads of the cabinet into matters related to the cabinet or its\nprograms;\n2. Licensing and regulatory functions as the secretary may delegate;\n3. Review of health facilities participating in transplant programs, as\ndetermined by the secretary, for the purpose of determining any\nviolations of KRS 311.1911 to 311.1959, 311.1961, and 311.1963;\n4. The duties, responsibilities, and auth ority pertaining to the certificate of\nneed functions and the licensure appeals functions, pursuant to KRS\nChapter 216B;\n5. The notification and forwarding of any information relevant to possible\ncriminal violations to the appropriate prosecuting authority;\n6. The oversight of the operations of the Kentucky Health Information\nExchange; and\n7. The support and guidance to health care providers related to telehealth\nservices, including the development of policy, standards, resources, and\neducation to expand telehealth services across the Commonwealth;\n(c) The Office of Public Affairs shall be headed by an executive director\nappointed by the secretary with the approval of the Governor in accordance\nwith KRS 12.050. The office shall provide information to the public and news\nmedia about the programs, services, and initiatives of the cabinet;\n(d) The Office of Human Resource Management  shall be headed by an executive\ndirector appointed by the secretary with the approval of the Governor in\naccordance with KRS 12.050. The office shall coordinate, oversee, and\nexecute all personnel, training, and management functions of the cabinet. The\noffice shall focus on the oversight, development, and implementation of\nquality improvement services; curriculum development and delivery of\ninstruction to staff; the administration, management, and oversight of training\noperations; health, safety, and compl iance training; and equal employment\nopportunity compliance functions;\n(e) The Office of Finance and Budget shall be headed by an executive director\nappointed by the secretary with the approval of the Governor in accordance\nwith KRS 12.050. The office shal l provide central review and oversight of\nbudget, contract, and cabinet finances. The office shall provide coordination,\nassistance, and support to program departments and independent review and\nanalysis on behalf of the secretary;\n(f) The Office of Legisl ative and Regulatory Affairs shall be headed by an\nexecutive director appointed by the secretary with the approval of the\nGovernor in accordance with KRS 12.050. The office shall provide central\nreview and oversight of legislation, policy, and administrati ve regulations.\nThe office shall provide coordination, assistance, and support to program\ndepartments and independent review and analysis on behalf of the secretary;\n(g) The Office of Administrative Services shall be headed by an executive\ndirector appoint ed by the secretary with the approval of the Governor in\naccordance with KRS 12.050. The office shall provide central review and\noversight of procurement, general accounting including grant monitoring, and\nfacility management. The office shall provide coor dination, assistance, and\nsupport to program departments and independent review and analysis on\nbehalf of the secretary;\n(h) The Office of Application Technology Services shall be headed by an\nexecutive director appointed by the secretary with the approval  of the\nGovernor in accordance with KRS 12.050. The office shall provide\napplication technology services including central review and oversight. The\noffice shall provide coordination, assistance, and support to program\ndepartments and independent review and analysis on behalf of the secretary;\n(i) The Office of Data Analytics shall be headed by an executive director who\nshall be appointed by the secretary with the approval of the Governor under\nKRS 12.050 and shall identify and innovate strategic initiative s to inform\npublic policy initiatives and provide opportunities for improved health\noutcomes for all Kentuckians though data analytics. The office shall provide\nleadership in the redesign of the health care delivery system using electronic\ninformation technology to improve patient care and reduce medical errors and\nduplicative services; and\n(j) The Office of Medical Cannabis shall be headed by an executive director\nappointed by the Governor in accordance with KRS 12.040 and shall\nimplement, operate, oversee , and regulate the medicinal cannabis program.\nThe office shall be composed of the Division of Enforcement and Compliance\nand the Division of Licensure and Access. Each division in the office shall be\nheaded by a director appointed by the secretary with th e approval of the\nGovernor in accordance with KRS 12.050.\n(2) Department for Medicaid Services. The Department for Medicaid Services shall\nserve as the single state agency in the Commonwealth to administer Title XIX of\nthe Federal Social Security Act. The Department for Medicaid Services shall be\nheaded by a commissioner for Medicaid services, who shall be appointed by the\nsecretary with the approval of the Governor under KRS 12.050. The commissioner\nfor Medicaid services shall be a person who by experience  and training in\nadministration and management is qualified to perform the duties of this office. The\ncommissioner for Medicaid services shall exercise authority over the Department\nfor Medicaid Services under the direction of the secretary and shall only fulfill\nthose responsibilities as delegated by the secretary;\n(3) Department for Public Health. The Department for Public Health shall develop and\noperate all programs of the cabinet that provide health services and all programs for\nassessing the health st atus of the population for the promotion of health and the\nprevention of disease, injury, disability, and premature death. This shall include but\nnot be limited to oversight of the Division of Women's Health and the Office for\nChildren with Special Health Care Needs. The duties, responsibilities, and authority\nset out in KRS 200.460 to 200.490 shall be performed by the Department for Public\nHealth. The Department for Public Health shall advocate for the rights of children\nwith disabilities and, to the exten t that funds are available, shall ensure the\nadministration of services for children with disabilities as are deemed appropriate\nby this office pursuant to Title V of the Social Security Act. The Department for\nPublic Health may promulgate administrative r egulations under KRS Chapter 13A\nas may be necessary to implement and administer its responsibilities. The Office for\nChildren with Special Health Care Needs may be headed by an executive director\nappointed by the secretary with the approval of the Governo r in accordance with\nKRS 12.050. The Department for Public Health shall be headed by a commissioner\nfor public health who shall be appointed by the secretary with the approval of the\nGovernor under KRS 12.050. The commissioner for public health shall be a duly\nlicensed physician who by experience and training in administration and\nmanagement is qualified to perform the duties of this office. The commissioner\nshall advise the head of each major organizational unit enumerated in this section\non policies, plan s, and programs relating to all matters of public health, including\nany actions necessary to safeguard the health of the citizens of the Commonwealth.\nThe commissioner shall serve as chief medical officer of the Commonwealth. The\ncommissioner for public he alth shall exercise authority over the Department for\nPublic Health under the direction of the secretary and shall only fulfill those\nresponsibilities as delegated by the secretary;\n(4) Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities. The\nDepartment for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities shall\ndevelop and administer programs for the prevention of mental illness, intellectual\ndisabilities, brain injury, developmental disabilities, and substance use di sorders\nand shall develop and administer an array of services and support for the treatment,\nhabilitation, and rehabilitation of persons who have a mental illness or emotional\ndisability, or who have an intellectual disability, brain injury, developmental\ndisability, or a substance use disorder. The Department for Behavioral Health,\nDevelopmental and Intellectual Disabilities shall be headed by a commissioner for\nbehavioral health, developmental and intellectual disabilities who shall be\nappointed by the se cretary with the approval of the Governor under KRS 12.050.\nThe commissioner for behavioral health, developmental and intellectual disabilities\nshall be by training and experience in administration and management qualified to\nperform the duties of the offi ce. The commissioner for behavioral health,\ndevelopmental and intellectual disabilities shall exercise authority over the\ndepartment under the direction of the secretary, and shall only fulfill those\nresponsibilities as delegated by the secretary;\n(5) Department for Family Resource Centers and Volunteer Services. The Department\nfor Family Resource Centers and Volunteer Services shall streamline the various\nresponsibilities associated with the human services programs for which the cabinet\nis responsible. This shall include, but not be limited to, oversight of the Division of\nFamily Resource and Youth Services Centers and Serve Kentucky. The Department\nfor Family Resource Centers and Volunteer Services shall be headed by a\ncommissioner who shall be appointed b y the secretary with the approval of the\nGovernor under KRS 12.050. The commissioner for family resource centers and\nvolunteer services shall be by training and experience in administration and\nmanagement qualified to perform the duties of the office, shal l exercise authority\nover the department under the direction of the secretary, and shall only fulfill those\nresponsibilities as delegated by the secretary;\n(6) Department for Community Based Services. The Department for Community Based\nServices shall admin ister and be responsible for child and adult protection,\nguardianship services, violence prevention resources, foster care and adoption,\npermanency, and services to enhance family self -sufficiency, including child care,\nsocial services, public assistance, and family support. The department shall be\nheaded by a commissioner appointed by the secretary with the approval of the\nGovernor in accordance with KRS 12.050; and\n(7) Department for Aging and Independent Living. The Department for Aging and\nIndependent Living shall serve as the state unit as designated by the Administration\non Aging Services under the Older Americans Act and shall have responsibility for\nadministration of the federal community support services, in -home services, meals,\nfamily and caregive r support services, elder rights and legal assistance, senior\ncommunity services employment program, the state health insurance assistance\nprogram, state home and community based services including home care,\nAlzheimer's respite services and the personal c are attendant program, certifications\nof assisted living facilities, and the state Council on Alzheimer's Disease and other\nrelated disorders. The department shall also administer the Long -Term Care\nOmbudsman Program and the Medicaid Home and Community Bas ed Waivers\nParticipant Directed Services Option (PDS) Program. The department shall serve as\nthe information and assistance center for aging and disability services and\nadminister multiple federal grants and other state initiatives. The department shall\nbe headed by a commissioner appointed by the secretary with the approval of the\nGovernor in accordance with KRS 12.050.","path":["KRS Chapter 194A"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=55830","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:51:46Z","sha256":"36235f98c956e7bfca35b952af6852a55fd427def61c9477117eba59372bd52f","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-194a.025","next":"us-ky/krs-194a.040"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}