Office of Individual and Family Affairs

The Office of Individual and Family Affairs (OIFA) promotes recovery, resiliency, and wellness for individuals with mental health and substance use challenges. We build partnerships with individuals, families of choice, youth, communities, organizations and we collaborate with key leadership and community members in the decision making process at all levels of the behavioral health system. In partnership with the community, we:

• Work to end the stigma that prevents people from openly seeking treatment for mental illness.
• Advocate for the development of culturally inclusive environments that are welcoming to individuals and families.
• Establish structures to promote diverse youth, family and individual voices in leadership positions throughout Arizona.
• Deliver training, technical assistance and instructional materials for individuals and their families.
• Ensure peer support and family support are available to all persons receiving services and their families.
• Monitor contractor performance and measure outcomes.
• Through the Foster Care Community Liaison, support the foster care/kinship/adoptive family community with access to health care-related information.

Read about the AHCCCS OIFA staff , their stories, and how to contact each member.

In addition to the AHCCCS OIFA team, each AHCCCS Complete Care (ACC) RBHA and Health Plan has an OIFA Department. View the contact information for the RBHA and ACC OIFA teams for additional help.

Info at a Glance

Download and print these handy one-page fliers to help you navigate behavioral health care needs and advocate for you and your family.

Your Health Care Rights
You have a voice and a choice in your health care decisions. Learn how to be your own advocate.

• Dental Coverage
• No Wait Lists
• You Have a Voice and Choice
• Sharing Health Information With Family and Friends Of Adult Members
• Services for AHCCCS Members Without a Serious Mental Illness
• Hospital Discharge Plan
• Standards Appointment Availability
• How to Update Your Mailing Address

Foster Care, Kinship and Adoptive Families

• If you are a foster parent or kinship/adoptive caregiver, learn more about your health care choices.
• Foster Care Resource Packet
• Crisis Services for Children in Foster Care Bilingual
• BHS Children in Foster Care Bilingual

Peer and Family-Run Organizations
Familiarize yourself with the family support services available to you from family-run organizations.

• Family and Other Supports
• Family-run Organizations
• Peer and Family-Run Organizations

Formal Complaints (Grievances)
If you have a complaint or concern with a provider about the quality of care or services, you may file a formal complaint (also known as a member grievance). Here's how to do that, and the process you can expect AHCCCS to follow:

• Grievances for adults on ALTCS with a Serious Mental Illness
• Grievances in the Children's System
• Filing an SMI Grievance
• Filing a Complaint Regarding Services for Adults with a Serious Mental Illness (SMI)

History of OIFA

Arizona’s Office of Individual and Family Affairs was established in 2007 during a summit hosted by the Arizona Department of Health Services/Division of Behavioral Health Services (ADHS/DBHS). Read reports from the 2007 summit and the 2009 summit.

OIFA is committed to engaging the community and fostering change from within. The 2011 Raise Your Voice report is one example of how community engagement creates real change. Raise Your Voice, the product of a campaign led entirely by peer and family members, was instrumental in the drafting of revised court orders for Arnold v Sarn in 2012. Members of the community were involved at every stage of the process, and the report is written using their own words.

If you are experiencing challenges and/or barriers to service, the AHCCCS Office of Individual and Family Affairs (OIFA) wants to hear from you. Please take a moment to write down the biggest challenge you and/or someone you know face when accessing services.