Jennifer Velez was born on 1965 or 1966 and is the former Human Services Commissioner for the state of New Jersey.
17 Facts About Jennifer Velez
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Jennifer Velez served as Commissioner from 2007 to 2015 under Governors Jon Corzine and Chris Christie.
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Jennifer Velez's mother remarried and the family lived in South Hackensack before moving to a trailer park in Moonachie, New Jersey.
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Jennifer Velez's mother worked as a secretary and her step-father worked in a factory.
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At a young age, Jennifer Velez worked two paper routes to earn money.
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Jennifer Velez then returned to school, attending Rutgers Law School.
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Jennifer Velez was unhappy in private practice and decided to move to government work after reading a newspaper profile of Bill Waldman, then the longest serving Commissioner of the Department of Human Services.
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Jennifer Velez responded to the idea of working with people who needed help and began seeking out a job in the government.
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Jennifer Velez became Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Human Services in 2006.
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Jennifer Velez was confirmed and sworn in on June 21,2007.
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Jennifer Velez advocated for individuals with developmental disabilities to live in homes that allow them to be part of the community.
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Jennifer Velez oversaw the Medicaid expansion in New Jersey under the Affordable Care Act, providing Medicaid coverage for an additional 300,000 people statewide.
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Jennifer Velez helped the state of New Jersey secure a waiver for a Medicaid overhaul in the state in 2012.
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Jennifer Velez was criticized for the closing of two developmental centers and a psychiatric hospital which she oversaw.
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In February 2015, Jennifer Velez announced she would be leaving her post as Commissioner at the end of that month.
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Jennifer Velez officially joined Barnabas Health on March 10,2015.
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Jennifer Velez is married to Richard Fiore, a pharmaceutical industry marketing consultant.