Does Texas Pay For In-Home Care?

Date Updated: July 26, 2024

Written by:

Rachel Lustbader

Rachel Lustbader is a writer and editor with a background in healthcare and technology. Her work has been published on websites including HealthCare.com, BiteSizeBio.com, BetterHelp.com, Caring.com, and PayingforSeniorCare.com. She studied health science and public health at Boston University.

Both of Rachel’s grandmothers had very positive experiences in senior living communities, and Rachel saw firsthand the impact that kind, committed caregivers and community managers can have on seniors’ and their family members’ lives. With her work at Caring, Rachel hopes to help other families find communities, caregivers, and at-home products that benefit elderly loved ones and make life less stressful for family caregivers

Texas pays for in-home care through three programs: STAR+PLUS, Primary Home Care and Community Attendant Services. These programs primarily serve low-income people who generally cannot afford to pay for care, which costs an average of $4,576 per month in Texas. Below, learn about what these programs cover and find out who is eligible.

STAR+PLUS

STAR+PLUS is a Medicaid-managed care program that pays for services people need to safely live in their homes. Seniors get these services through a Medicaid plan of their choice. The program pays for personal care, nursing, home-delivered meals, therapies, respite care, accessibility modifications and related services. STAR+PLUS plans also offer value-added services that aren’t covered by Medicaid. Services may include weight loss programs, dental exams, podiatry visits and access to a 24-7 nurse hotline.

To be eligible for STAR+PLUS, seniors must qualify for Medicaid and meet one or more of these requirements:

Receives SSI benefits
Does not receive SSI benefits but qualifies for STAR+PLUS Home and Community-Based Services
Receives Medicaid through a Social Security Exclusion program and meets income/asset limits
Receives Medicaid while living in a nursing home
Is in the Medicaid Breast and Cervical Cancer program

Primary Home Care (PHC) and Community Attendant Services (CAS)

PHC and CAS provide personal attendant services for seniors in their homes. These programs are similar, but PHC is a Medicaid program while CAS is for people who don’t qualify for Medicaid. Both programs provide nonmedical services such as housekeeping, shopping, meal preparation, transportation to doctor’s appointments and help with activities of daily living, such as grooming and getting dressed.

For both programs, seniors must be able to safely reside in their home (or a family member’s home) and meet a functional needs assessment. The PHC program has an income limit of $841 per month and an asset limit of $2,000. The CAS asset limit is the same, but the monthly income limit is higher at $2,523 per month.