Recently moved to Texas trying to find out how the system works because I can’t get them to give me any answers. If you get a home healthcare attendant through the star plus Medicaid waiver program then go through I guess consumer direct to get one of your family members paid. I’m not sure if that’s the way it works, but if it does approximately, how much does your attendant get paid and how do you find out about how many hours? Thanks for any help you can give I’ve made 2 or 300 phone calls and I’m not getting anywhere so I figured I would ask someone here.
Texas runs its Star Plus on a MCO system, aka Managed Care Organization. It’s kinda like an HMO or a MediCARE Advantage Plan as the MCO will have preset health care providers who are the network that you can be covered in/ seen at. Most areas of the State have choices so you can pick for your specific MCO. Superior and Molina are the bigger MCOs in the State. Superior has been doing Medicaid in TX for ages, as they have done CHIP for decades. Molina is the big MCO nationwide. You need to try to find out who the choices are for your area and what different choices within their MCO are available; & how they deal with in-home services so that whomever you pick can hopefully coordinate or provide for what you are wanting. If Superior is in your area, personally if it were me, I’d call them at their HQ in Austin 1-800-964-2777 to try to find out what’s what for your age based on your zip code and ask how to enroll. Molina is bigger and imho you are more apt to get lost in information overload as they have so many plans in so many many many States.
Also try to find out how they do the assessment to determine # of hours. If you have an old assessment from your old State, ask if they can use it in some way. The assessment is important cause if it shows you need a lot of direct care hours per week, it may be determined that your appropriate Level of Care is in a facility rather than living independently.
TX now does allow family to be a paid inhome caregiver. TX is a $7.25 hr minimum wage state. A States minimum wage really affects any State supported program that are using State funds as wages are tied to the baseline $7.25 hr. Last I read, TX paid family caregivers $10.60 hr and its income, so it’s taxable & FICA. Assessment tend to come in 18-22 hrs a week, so avg $212 wk less FICA. Normal FICA stuff takes abt 1/3, so abt $600 or so a mo. It’s not designed to pay a traditional salary. More a sm renumeration to a family member for their time as they live in the home anyways.
The home health agencies who do Medicaid contracts don’t get paid much more. It’s real hard for them to find & keep workers, as you can get hired at Target for $15/$17 hr. It’s a big reason why TX now allows for paid family caregivers.
Call your County Social Service Agency and get an appt with a Medicaid caseworker. Medicaid goes by income.