Department of Health and Human Services

American  

noun

1. the department of the U.S. government that administers federal programs dealing with public health, welfare, and income security: created in 1979 from the reorganized Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. HHS

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Department of Health and Human Services Cultural  

1. A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the Social Security Administration, the Public Health Service, and other programs designed to promote public welfare. It was originally called the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, until the separate Department of Education was created in 1979.

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Example Sentences

The Eldercare Locator — which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services — can also help connect people in need with local services.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 21, 2026

About 15% of the US population is affected by dyslexia, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

By Monday, agencies including the Treasury Department and Department of Health and Human Services were telling employees that their AI tools would no longer work with Claude.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026

The current rescheduling push dates back to October of 2022, when former President Joe Biden directed the Department of Health and Human Services to reexamine cannabis’s scheduling status.

From Salon • Feb. 6, 2026

The Department of Health and Human Services launched an investigation and concluded that the study’s consent forms “failed to provide an adequate description” of the different levels of lead abatement in the homes.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot