Evidence-Based Policymaking

Assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) is a civil court procedure whereby a judge orders an adult with serious mental illness (SMI) to comply with community-based treatment. Developed as a less restrictive alternative to involuntary hospitalization, AOT focuses on individuals at risk of clinical deterioration or rehospitalization because they do not voluntarily comply with prescribed treatment.

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has been working with researchers, human services agency leaders, and persons with lived experience to visualize, describe, and document models of primary prevention within human services.

The FY2024 Capacity Assessment Check In is part of the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) multi-year approach for addressing the primary capacity building needs identified through the initial FY2023-2026 HHS Capacity Assessment.

The Welfare Indicators Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-432) requires the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to prepare an annual report to Congress on indicators and predictors of “welfare dependence.” That Act requires the report to include three programs: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program (which replaced the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)

The FY 2025 HHS Evaluation Plan details the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) efforts to answer the priority questions presented in the current HHS Evidence Building Plan. This plan provides both an overview of HHS evaluation activities planned for FY 2025 and detailed information for each new and continuing evaluation effort.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) analyzes the benefits, costs, and other impacts of significant proposed and final rulemakings, consistent with the requirements of several executive orders and statutes. HHS develops these analyses according to technical guidance published by the U.S.

Evidence Gap Map: Research Report and Overview

The cornerstone of a well-functioning market is competition. President Biden’s Executive Order 14036, “Promoting Competition in the American Economy” identified a lack of competition as a key driver for problems across economic sectors.

The Foundations for Evidenced-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 (Evidence Act) provided an important opportunity to Federal Agencies to assess and improve, where needed, their evaluation and other evidence building activities.

This brief highlights key themes and ideas from a Health and Human Services (HHS) Convening on Advancing Primary Prevention in Human Services in August 2022. With a particular focus on prevention of youth and family homelessness, the convening featured the perspectives of academic experts, program administrators, federal colleagues, and people with lived expertise.