Program
Home and Community-based Services
HCS is a Texas Medicaid waiver program administered by Texas Health and Human Services. It pays for the support a person with an intellectual or developmental disability needs to live in the community — instead of in an institution.
What the waiver is for
The idea behind HCS is straightforward. A person who would otherwise qualify for care in an intermediate care facility can instead receive that same level of support at home, in a small group home, or with a host family. The waiver covers residential support, skills training, nursing, therapies, respite for families, adaptive equipment, and home modifications.
Jade Community Care is contracted with Texas HHSC to deliver these services. We are not a facility — we are a provider agency, and the homes we operate are ordinary houses in ordinary neighborhoods.
Where People Live
Three ways to live under HCS
One of these is not better than the others. The right setting depends on the person — how much support they need, what they want, and who is already in their life.
Group Home
A regular house shared with two or three other people, staffed by our team. Depending on the level of support needed, this is delivered as Supervised Living (24-hour staffing) or Residential Support Services (24-hour staffing with a higher level of supervision and skills training).
Best when: someone needs daily support and does well with a small, consistent household.
Host Home & Companion Care
The person lives in the home of a screened, trained family or individual who provides day-to-day support. Jade recruits, trains, monitors, and pays the host, and our staff stay involved throughout.
Best when: someone thrives in a family setting rather than a staffed house.
Own Home or Family Home
Delivered as Supported Home Living. The person stays where they already live — their own apartment or with family — and our staff come to them for the hours of support written into their plan.
Best when: someone is living successfully at home and needs targeted help, not full-time staffing.
Covered Services
What HCS pays for
Not everyone receives every service. A person's Individual Plan of Care lists the specific services and hours approved for them, and it is reviewed at least once a year.
- Residential AssistanceSupervised Living, Residential Support, Host Home / Companion Care, Supported Home Living
- Individualized Skills & SocializationOur own licensed day program — on-site, off-site, and in-home
- RespiteShort-term relief for families and caregivers
- NursingRegistered-nurse assessment, monitoring, and delegation
- Behavioral SupportAssessment and positive behavior support planning
- Employment AssistanceHelp finding a community job
- Supported EmploymentOngoing support to keep that job
- Occupational, Physical & Speech TherapyAs written into the plan of care
- Audiology & Dietary ServicesSpecialized professional therapies
- Cognitive Rehabilitation TherapySkills recovery after injury or illness
- Social WorkCounseling and family support
- Dental TreatmentPreventive and restorative care
- Adaptive AidsEquipment and devices that support independence
- Minor Home ModificationsRamps, grab bars, widened doorways
- Community First Choice (CFC)Personal assistance, habilitation, and emergency response
- Financial Management & Support ConsultationFor those who self-direct their services
You can direct your own services
HCS includes a Consumer Directed Services (CDS) option, which lets a person or their family act as the employer for certain services — choosing and supervising their own staff. Ask us about it; we will explain honestly where it works well and where it adds work.
Eligibility
Who qualifies for HCS
Eligibility is determined by the state, not by Jade. In general, a person must meet all of the following:
A qualifying diagnosis
An intellectual disability, or a related condition such as autism, cerebral palsy, a seizure disorder, or spina bifida, with an IQ of 75 or below. The determination is made through the LIDDA.
Medicaid eligibility
The person must be eligible for Medicaid. Income is generally limited to 300% of the SSI limit, and countable resources to $2,000 — based on the individual's own income and resources, not the family's.
An institutional level of care
The person must need the level of care that an intermediate care facility for individuals with an intellectual disability would provide — which is exactly the care the waiver lets them receive at home instead.
A slot from the interest list
There is no age limit, but HCS slots are limited and the interest list is long. A person cannot be enrolled in HCS and another Medicaid waiver at the same time.
Add your name to the interest list today
The wait for an HCS slot is measured in years, and the clock starts the day the name goes on the list. If you are unsure whether your family member will ever need services, add them anyway — there is no cost and no obligation. In Fort Bend County, the local authority is still Texana Center; it stopped providing waiver services directly in 2025 but remains the LIDDA that manages the interest list and service coordination. Call us and we will point you to the right phone number.
Questions about whether HCS is right for your family?
There is no cost to ask, and we will tell you honestly if another program is a better fit. Call us or send a message and we will get back to you within one business day.