04/17/2026
GETTING WAIVER OR NON-WAIVER SERVICES IN TEXAS
Author: Heisha Freeman (Originally posted in the Special Needs Parents of (North) Texas - Official Group on FB)
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It's possible to back into Medicaid by qualifying for a waiver, so don't let not having SSI or Medicaid stop you from taking these steps!! They are named "waivers" because certain Medicaid requirements, including family income, are waived (meaning they don't apply). You can make a million dollars a year and still get a Medicaid waiver (and associated Medicaid plan) for your child! Texas also has entitlement programs with zero wait for those 18+ years old who don't have Medicaid.
If you haven't already, take 10-15 minutes to put your child on the waiver interest lists. You don't need to worry about understanding what they are or whether your child will qualify. This is to express interest in finding out all that stuff when your child reaches the top of the list. Note that you do not need a diagnosis. All you need is your child's name, Texas address, phone number, birthday, and social security number. Regardless of your child's age, take these steps today:
1. If you prefer to handle things by phone, call (877) 438-5658. Tell them you want your child on the MDCP and CLASS interest lists. If your child is deaf-blind, add DBMC. When you add your child to a Medicaid waiver interest list, ask for a confirmation via email or a mailed letter. Keep this in a safe place.
If you prefer to do things online, log into your child’s Your Texas Benefits account (or create one – the account should be in their name, not yours) https://www.yourtexasbenefits.com/
· Click Manage
· In the Quick Links section, click Interest List Manager
· Click to Create an Interest List ID (if you don’t already have one)
· In the Interest List ID section, click View Details
· Click + Join Interest Lists
· Check the boxes for all the waivers. Don’t worry about what they are of if your child will qualify. You are not committing to anything. You are merely expressing interest in learning and having the option for the waiver program when your child comes to the top of the list. You can return to this page to view your child’s place in line, update contact info, etc.
2. Find the number for your local LIDDA on this website https://apps.hhs.texas.gov/contact/la.cfm. Tell them you'd like your child evaluated for CFC, HCBS, etc. services, which have no wait in many counties, plus any other services your child may be eligible for. LIDDA stands for Local Intellectual and Developmental Disability Authority. CFC stands for Community First Choice, and HCBS stands for Home & Community Based Services. If in crisis, ask about IDD Crisis and Stabilization, which may include the YES waiver.
If you didn’t join the waiver interest lists on the Your Texas Benefits website, also tell your LIDDA you’d like your child to be put on the HCS and Texas Home Living interest lists. Ask for an email confirmation or a mailed letter when you add your child to the Medicaid waiver interest lists. Keep this in a safe place.
If your child (of any age) requires more assistance than you can provide in the home, be sure to let them know. Additional assistance may be available now if they know your child is at risk of placement outside the home.
1. Call (800) 252-8023 and tell them you want to put your child on the Children with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN) Services Program waitlist. They will connect you with your local health service office to process your request.
If you don't have SSI or Medicaid for your child, look into applying for them. When they are 17 or younger, the SSA uses the income and assets of everyone in the home as part of their determination. However, they also have a "compassionate allowances" list that bypasses the income requirement. Find the post in this group that lists the group-specific hashtags (located in the Featured section) and use it to research SSI, Medicaid, Medicaid BuyIn (if you make too much for Medicaid), and the SSA's compassionate allowance list for SSI.
AFTER 18 YEARS OF AGE, ADD THIS TO THE ABOVE:
Available programs and program benefits change once they turn 18. Most will even pay you, the parent, to care for them! The most exciting is you, the parent, can possibly be their paid caregiver!
If they have Medicaid but not a waiver:
1. Call your Medicaid provider and ask about being evaluated for acute care services such as PAS hours.
2. Call your LIDDA and ask about CFC, HCBS, and other non-waiver services available in your county.
If they don't have Medicaid:
3. Contact the Aging & Disability Resource Center at (855) 937-2372 and your LIDDA. Ask them both about the Community Care for Aged/Disabled entitlement program, Community Attendant Services entitlement program, Primary Home Care program, Family Care program, and other programs they may qualify for.
If they don't have SSI or Medicaid, look into applying for them. Once they turn 18, only their income/assets are used in the approval process. (If you receive child support, once they turn 18, that money is considered income for them. If the amount is high enough to disqualify them for SSI/Medicaid, consider setting up a trust and having the court order those payments be paid to the trust.
Please note that when you apply for SSI, they will first determine eligibility for SSDI and you will receive a denial letter. After they deny SSDI, they will process the application for SSI. We have posts on this in the group. Once approved for Medicaid, look into HIPP. That program will reimburse your private healthcare premiums through your employer - for the entire family - if your child has Medicaid. We have posts on all this with more information in the group you can find by using the group specific hashtags.
Once they have SSI and are 18+ years old, consider using a room rental agreement if they live with you. This makes them a legal household of one which will preserve full SSI benefits, plus make them eligible for more benefits (sliding scale discounts for summer camp fees, etc.). We have posts on this in the group.
If you are considering guardianship, look into the alternatives Texas offers. We have posts on the alternatives and a form you can give the school so they still talk to you if you choose an alternative such as Supported Decision Making or Power of Attorney. The alternatives are free and legally enforceable, plus they don't require an attorney or going to court. Check them out before you start the guardianship process.
AFTER 21+ YEARS OF AGE, CONSIDER THIS:
If your child is 21+ years old and doesn't have a waiver you're happy with, call your Medicaid provider and ask to be evaluated for the STAR+PLUS HCBS waiver. There is no wait for the STAR+PLUS HCBS waiver if they already have Medicaid. If not, log into the Your Texas Benefits website and follow the steps above to join the interest list, or call 2-1-1 and ask them to put your child on the list.
WAIT TIMES AND WHAT TO EXPECT
Currently, the wait times for a waiver (unless you use Rider 28 to skip the wait - we have posts in the group with details) are:
YES 1-2 years (for those 3-18 years old)
MDCP 1-2 years (for those 20 and younger)
DBMD 5-6 years (any age)
TxHML 14-15 years (any age)
CLASS 16-17 years (any age)
HCS 16-17 years (any age)
STAR+PLUS HCBS (for those 21 and older)
• already has Medicaid Zero Wait
• doesn't have Medicaid yet 2-3 years
You can see where your child is on the lists at any time by logging into Your Texas Benefits website and going to the Interest List Manager section. For whatever reason, the details can take a couple minutes to load, so don’t panic when the section on current placement appears blank at first!
WHEN THEY TURN 22:
Once they turn 22, they may be eligible for food stamps. If they don't work, they can be approved for 3 years at a time. The amount of rent/utilities listed in their lease will have a huge impact on the amount of SNAP they receive each month. We have posts on this in the group and it's discussed in the posts on using a lease. Find the list of group specific hashtags located in the Featured section of the group and use that use to make your research easy!
GENERAL INFO ON WHAT TO EXPECT AT ANY AGE:
While you wait for your child to reach the top of an interest list, your child may qualify for non-waiver programs through your LIDDA, which can help with limited services until they get a waiver. When your child's name comes to the top of a waiver interest list, and they qualify for the waiver, you'll give up your non-waiver program(s) to have the waiver (all the waivers are better than all the non-waiver programs). Your child's name will remain on the other interest lists for the other waivers. When the day comes that they have a waiver, and their name reaches the top of another waiver interest list, you will evaluate the two waivers and decide if you want to keep the one you have or give it up to join the new one being offered (assuming they qualify for the new one). If you turn down the new one, you can put their name on that interest list again. The process repeats itself every time their name comes to the top of any of the interest lists they haven't aged out of yet.
At least once a year, you are required to "renew interest," or your child will be dropped from the list(s). How this is done has changed through the years, so I got in the habit of making two quick phone calls to confirm or update my contact information and tell them we're still interested each year. Many parents remember by calling around their child's birthday. During these calls, you can also find out where your child is on the lists. Some parents have reported being told their child isn't on one of the lists, and that's where having a confirmation letter as proof they were added back when can be used to restore their place in line. It’s also a good idea to check the Contacts listed in the Interest List Manager section of the Your Texas Benefits website to be sure the information is current.
MORE INFORMATION
We have several posts on qualifying for these programs and services, including skipping the wait per Rider 28, being your child's paid caregiver under the CDS and Agency options (and how guardianship limits these options and so much more, so read about alternatives to guardianship in case one of the options Texas has is a better fit for your child when they turn 18), and much more that you can find by searching our group. (Remember, for easy searching, the complete list of clickable group hashtags can be found in a post pinned to the Featured section of our group.)
Feel free to copy/paste this info. elsewhere so long as you give author and original post location credit.
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