Oklahoma DHS to eliminate 91 jobs

The Department of Human Services announced Wednesday it will cut 91 positions as part of $45 million in spending reductions to deal with a $100 million budget shortfall.

This will bring the number of DHS positions that have been cut over the last year to more than 900.

“We have been upfront with legislative leaders all year long about the DHS budget, our increasing costs, and the limitations we face when trying to make reductions,” said DHS Director Ed Lake. “It is fiscally impossible to reduce $100 million out of our budget without putting thousands of vulnerable Oklahomans at risk.”

Lake said that the agency, which manages public assistance programs, will need a supplemental appropriation from the Legislature.

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