Medicaid Waivers

The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Serices (DADS) administers 6 waiver programs in Texas with different eligibility requirements, rules, service options, and funding amounts within each program.

*Medically Dependent Children Program (MDCP)

*Home & Community-Based Services (HCS)

*Community Living Assistance & Support Services (CLASS)

Community Based Alternatives (CBA)

Deaf Blind with Multiple Disabilities (DBMD)

Texas Home Living (TxHmL)

*The majority of individuals with Down syndrome qualify for these, though some will also qualify for the other programs based on additional diagnoses.

In addition, DADS oversees the Local Authorities. Each county in Texas is served by a local authority. The Bexar County Local Authority is the Alamo Local Authority for Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities (ALA for IDD – formerly Bexar MRA).

When you call to access services in Texas, you will learn of an "interest list", known by families and individuals who have a disability as a "waiting list". The list varies in length depending on the Waiver Program. The wait for services is approximately 7-9 years in length. A person can be enrolled in only one waiver program at a time, but may be on more than one interest list while waiting for services.

DADS maintains the interest lists for MDCP, CLASS, CBA, and DBMD.
The Local Authorities maintain the interest lists for HCS and TxHmL.

Signing up for the Medicaid Waiver Programs can seem overwhelming, but it is actually quite simple. The intake process for MDCP, CLASS, CBA, and DBMD is handled by DADS; the intake process for HCS and TxHmL is handled by the Local Authorities.

1. Call the Intake Offices – be sure to have your child’s social security number
   • Please be prepared to provide Social Security and Medicaid numbers (if currently on Medicaid), type of disability, age of the onset of the disability, date of birth, address and telephone number of the person to be placed on the interest list.
   • Bexar County Residents:
     To begin the intake process for MDCP, CLASS, CBA, and/or DBMD, call the DADS intake office at  1.888.902.9990.
     To begin the intake process for HCS and/or TxHmL, call the ALA for IDD at 210.832.5020.
   • If you do not reside in Bexar County, go to the DADS website to determine the phone numbers to call for your area.
2. Once you have gone through the intake process, you will receive a confirmation letter from DADS (for MDCP, CLASS, CBA, and DBMD) and from the Local Authority (HCS and TxHmL) that verifies placement on a Medicaid Waiver Program list(s) and the date of placement on the list.
3. Each year the primary contact/guardian will receive a confirmation letter and/or a phone call indicating continued placement on the interest list and, in some cases, what number the applicant is on the list(s).  In order to remain on the interest list(s), the signed document must be returned and/or a phone call must be made to the case manager.
4. It is very important to maintain detailed records of any communication with DADS and the Local Authority. It is also very important to call the offices if your address and/or phone number changes. If you cannot be located and/or do not respond to the letter and/or phone call, the applicant will be removed from the interest list.