Meet the DHS Chief Counsel

Mitch Rouse serves as the Chief Counsel for the Department of Human Services.  In this role, he oversees legal operations in the Office of Chief Counsel, including agency litigation, regulatory and compliance, as well as county legal operations.

Mitch previously served as the Director of the Office of State Procurement within the Department of Transformation and Shared Services (TSS), as well as Secretary and Chief General Counsel for TSS. He also served as Chief of Staff for the agency formerly known as the Department of Environmental Quality.

Office Overview

The Office of Chief Counsel consists of five sections which provide extensive legal, investigative and hearing services to the Department.

The Office of Public Guardian unit is responsible for the care of incapacitated individuals who have become wards through an application process as mandated by statute.  Applications may be presented to this office by any concerned citizen but most applications are submitted by medical professionals, long term care providers, other DHS units and family members.  If the Office approves the application, the Office will petition a court for guardianship of the ward and, if appointed, may serve the guardian of the person, the estate, or both.

The Office of Appeals and Hearings conducts administrative hearings and makes the final agency decisions for the Department regarding appealed actions. A request for an administrative hearing may concern Medicaid, Maltreatment, SNAP, or a number of other agency programs.

The Appellate Section provides statewide legal representation to the Department of Human Services in the areas of child welfare and adult protective services.

Also provides legal assistance and representation on administrative matters, litigation pertaining to delivery of services, program administration, and overpayment collections.

The Regulatory Section provides legal assistance and representation on contracts, privacy section matters, employment law, personnel, civil rights and rules promulgation issues for the agency.

The Privacy Section ensures the Agency’s compliance with HIPAA and privacy laws. It is also responsible for handling subpoenas, record requests, authorizations for information, and compliance with court orders.

County Legal Operations provides statewide legal representation to the Department of Human Services in the areas of child welfare and adult protective services.

Contact Information

Office	Address	Phone	Email
Regulatory Section	P.O. Box 1437 – Slot S260 Little Rock, AR 72203-1437	501-396-6456 Fax: 501-682-8009	Email
Appeals and Hearings	P.O. Box 1437 – Slot S101 Little Rock, AR 72203-1437	501-682-8622 Fax: 501-682-6605	Email
County Legal Operations	P.O. Box 1437 – Slot S260 Little Rock, AR 72203-1437	501-396-6183 Fax: 501-682-8639	Email
Privacy Section	P.O. Box 1437 – Slot S260 Little Rock, AR 72203-1437	501-320-6292 Fax: 501-683-4829	Email
Appellate Section	P.O. Box 1437 – Slot S260 Little Rock, AR 72203-1437	501-320-6334 Fax: 501-682-6720	Email
Office of Public Guardian	P.O. Box 1437 – Slot W105 Little Rock, AR 72203-1437	888-397-2430  Fax: 501-682-1483	Email

Staff

Name	Title	Phone
Mitch Rouse	Chief Counsel	501-320-6369, Fax: 501-682-8009
Brett Hays	Chief Deputy Counsel – Regulatory, Security and Compliance	501-396-6456, Fax: 501-682-8009
Rich Rosen	Chief Deputy Counsel – Appellate	501-320-6334, Fax: 501-682-1390
Sarah Ross	Deputy Counsel – County Legal Operations	501-396-6183, Fax: 501-682-8009
Sommer Faulkenberry	Chief Administrative Law Judge, Appeals and Hearings	501-682-8622, Fax: 501-682-6605
Kitten Dixon	Office Manager, Office of Chief Counsel	501-320-6378, Fax: 501-682-8009
Jennifer Holland	DHS Privacy Officer	501-320-6560
Carolyn Singleton	Public Guardian for Adults	888-397-2430, Fax: 501-682-1483

OCC Documents & Forms

Documents	Doc Type	Date
Application for Public Guardian	PDF	09/22/2020
Adoption Information Sheet	PDF	09/20/2011