Montana DPHHS phone numbers, benefits, records and statewide services
Montana’s state agency is officially the Department of Public Health and Human Services, usually shortened to DPHHS. It is much broader than a traditional health department: the same agency oversees public assistance, Medicaid-related programs, public health, child and family services, aging and long-term care, disability services, WIC, Child Support, Vital Records and state health-care facilities.
For Montanans, the practical trick is knowing which number to use. The Helena Director’s Office is the central administrative contact, but SNAP, Medicaid, WIC, birth certificates, Child Support and protective-service reports each have their own route.
What is the Montana Department of Health and Human Services?
The official name is the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS). It is Montana’s statewide health and human-services agency and combines functions that other states sometimes split across several departments.
The Director’s Office is headquartered at 111 North Sanders Street in Helena, but most residents should contact the program handling their issue instead of calling central administration first.
Use the Public Assistance Helpline at 888-706-1535 or the official `apply.mt.gov` self-service portal.
Use the Montana Office of Vital Records, not the DPHHS Director’s Office.
Use the statewide WIC line or locate a local WIC agency serving your area.
Use Montana Child Support Services rather than Public Assistance.
Use the dedicated Child Abuse or Adult Protective Services intake numbers.
Use a local county or tribal health department. DPHHS is the state agency and does not replace local public-health offices.
Montana DPHHS phone numbers by service
Use this table as a front-door directory. Program-specific numbers are usually more useful than calling the Director’s Office and asking for a transfer.
| Service | Phone | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| DPHHS Director’s Office | 406-444-5623 | Department administration, statewide agency routing and central-office questions. |
| Public Assistance Helpline | 888-706-1535 | SNAP, TANF, Medicaid eligibility, application and case-related public-assistance routing. |
| Montana Healthcare Programs Help Line | 800-362-8312 | Montana Healthcare Programs member/help routing. |
| Vital Records | 406-444-2685 | Birth/death certificate questions and individual marriage/divorce information. |
| WIC | 800-433-4298 | Montana WIC program information and local-program routing. |
| Child Support Services | 800-346-5437 | Child-support cases, payment lookup and customer service. |
| Child Abuse Hotline | 866-820-5437 | Report suspected child abuse or neglect; official CFSD materials identify this as a 24-hour line. |
| Adult Protective Services Intake | 844-277-9300 | Report suspected abuse, neglect or exploitation involving a vulnerable adult. |
| Aging Services Network | 800-551-3191 | Aging-related programs and referral support. |
| Mental Health Services Help Line | 888-866-0328 | Mental-health service information and routing. |
| 988 crisis support | 988 | Call or text for suicide and crisis support. |
| Poison Control | 800-222-1222 | Poison exposure questions and urgent poison guidance. |
DPHHS is more than a public-health department
Montana organizes a large portion of its health and social-service system under one state agency. DPHHS lists 12 divisions, with most grouped into four major management areas.
Includes Child and Family Services, Child Support Services, Disability Employment and Transitions, Early Childhood and Family Support, and Human and Community Services.
Includes Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, Health Resources, and Senior and Long Term Care.
Includes the Public Health and Safety Division along with department-level administrative functions such as hearings and oversight.
DPHHS oversees state-operated health-care facilities serving Montanans with behavioral-health, developmental-disability, substance-use and aging-related needs.
How to apply for Montana food, cash and health assistance
Montana’s Human and Community Services system handles economic-support programs including SNAP, TANF and Medicaid eligibility through Offices of Public Assistance and the statewide Public Assistance Helpline.
If you need food assistance, cash assistance or Medicaid eligibility help, start with the Montana public-assistance system rather than the Director’s Office.
Use the official Montana self-service portal at `apply.mt.gov`. This is also the primary online route for reporting many eligibility changes.
Call 888-706-1535 for Public Assistance Helpline support and local Office of Public Assistance routing.
Programs may need household names, birth dates, contact information, Social Security or immigration information for applicants, income records and information about existing health coverage.
DPHHS instructs members to report changes such as household composition, income, employment, education status or citizenship/immigration information when those changes affect eligibility.
Medicaid applications, eligibility changes and member help
Montana Medicaid is part of the DPHHS system, but the correct contact depends on whether you are applying, checking eligibility, reporting a household change or asking about healthcare-program coverage.
DPHHS lists online, phone and in-person routes. The agency also directs people seeking food or cash assistance at the same time to `apply.mt.gov` or the Public Assistance Helpline.
Use `apply.mt.gov`, call 888-706-1535, mail the Human and Community Services Division, or visit a local Office of Public Assistance.
Members receiving an adverse eligibility action receive formal notice with appeal instructions. Fair-hearing information is available through the DPHHS Office of Administrative Hearings.
Montana WIC: statewide phone and local clinic route
Montana WIC is part of DPHHS’s early-childhood and family-support system. The statewide hotline is 800-433-4298, with a direct state-program number of 406-444-5533 listed in program materials.
WIC services are delivered through local programs rather than only from Helena. If you are pregnant, postpartum, breastfeeding, caring for an infant or have a young child, use the state WIC route to find the local agency serving your area and confirm current eligibility documentation and appointment procedures.
Montana birth and death certificates use a separate DPHHS office
Do not call the DPHHS Director’s Office for routine birth-certificate or death-certificate ordering questions. Montana’s Office of Vital Records has its own staff and contact routes.
406-444-2685 for general birth/death certificate questions and individual marriage/divorce information.
Vital Records publishes specialized contacts for record corrections, adoption-related amendments, delayed records and homebirth questions.
Research data and statistical requests are handled separately from requests for legal certificate copies.
Child protection, Child Support and family-service contacts
DPHHS contains several child and family programs, and they are not interchangeable. Reporting suspected abuse goes to Child and Family Services, while Child Support has its own statewide customer-service and payment systems.
Use the Child Abuse Hotline at 866-820-5437. Child and Family Services identifies the hotline as toll-free and available 24 hours.
Call 800-346-5437 for Child Support Services customer service, case/payment information and appropriate office routing.
DPHHS lists Children’s Special Health Services at 800-762-9891 for program information.
Aging, long-term care and disability-service routing
Montana DPHHS maintains senior, disability-employment and transition programs across the state. The department’s office network includes Area Agencies on Aging, disability-employment locations and other community-based points of contact.
Call 800-551-3191 for statewide aging-services information and referral.
DPHHS lists 800-332-2272 for the Montana State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program.
Call 844-277-9300 to report suspected abuse, neglect or exploitation of a vulnerable adult.
You usually do not need to travel to Helena
DPHHS describes a statewide network that includes 24 Child and Family Services offices across six regions, 19 Offices of Public Assistance, 10 Developmental Disabilities offices, nine Disability Employment and Transition sites and five regional Child Support offices, along with state-operated health-care facilities.
The field-office directory also includes local contacts for Blind and Low Vision Services, child care licensing, Human Resource Development Councils, Area Agencies on Aging, accessible communications, vocational rehabilitation and other programs.
Use the field-office directory to find the correct program office rather than assuming all services share one local DPHHS building.
Phone and online routes can save a long drive. Confirm whether documents can be submitted through the self-service portal, mail, local OPA or another program-specific channel.
DPHHS also links residents to local county and tribal health departments. State DPHHS programs and tribal/local public-health programs may have different responsibilities.
Important Montana DPHHS and health-related hotlines
| Situation | Number | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Child abuse or neglect | 866-820-5437 | State Child and Family Services intake. |
| Adult abuse, neglect or exploitation | 844-277-9300 | Adult Protective Services intake. |
| Suicide or emotional crisis | 988 | Call or text 988 for crisis support. |
| Poison exposure | 800-222-1222 | Poison Control. |
| Mental-health service information | 888-866-0328 | Mental Health Services Help Line. |
| Tobacco quitting | 866-485-7848 | Montana Tobacco Quit Line. |
What to have ready before you contact DPHHS
Official Montana DPHHS links to use before taking action
Montana Department of Health and Human Services FAQs
What is the Montana Department of Health phone number?
The central Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Director’s Office phone number is 406-444-5623. For benefits, Vital Records, WIC, Child Support or protective services, use the program-specific number instead.
What is the official name of Montana’s health department?
The official agency is the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, commonly abbreviated DPHHS.
Where is Montana DPHHS headquarters?
The DPHHS Director’s Office is at 111 North Sanders Street, Helena, Montana 59601. Individual divisions and programs also operate from other Helena buildings and field offices around the state.
How do I apply for SNAP in Montana?
Use the official Montana self-service portal at apply.mt.gov, call the Public Assistance Helpline at 888-706-1535 or contact a local Office of Public Assistance.
How do I contact Montana Medicaid?
For Medicaid eligibility and application help, use the Public Assistance Helpline at 888-706-1535. DPHHS also lists the Montana Healthcare Programs Help Line at 800-362-8312 for healthcare-program support.
What is the Montana Vital Records phone number?
The Montana Office of Vital Records general phone number is 406-444-2685 for questions about obtaining birth or death certificates and individual marriage/divorce information.
What is the Montana WIC phone number?
The statewide Montana WIC hotline is 800-433-4298. Use the state program to locate and contact the local WIC agency serving your area.
How do I report child abuse in Montana?
Call the Montana Child Abuse Hotline at 866-820-5437. Child and Family Services identifies the hotline as toll-free and available 24 hours. Call 911 first if a child is in immediate danger.
How do I contact Montana Child Support?
Montana Child Support Services customer service can be reached at 800-346-5437. The same number provides access to payment information through the automated system.
Do I need to go to Helena for DPHHS services?
Usually not. DPHHS has Offices of Public Assistance, Child and Family Services offices, Child Support offices, disability-service sites and other field-office networks across Montana. Many services also have phone or online routes.