Texas Health and Human Services

Virtually 13% of Texans — 3.7 million folks — are age 65 and older, and the quantity is rising. It’s projected that by 2050, Texans age 65 and older will improve to eight.3 million, representing 17% of the state’s inhabitants. This development seemingly means there will even be a rise within the want for all sorts of well being and human providers, reminiscent of well being care, residence care, private care and long-term care.

Texas Health and Human Services supplies a spread of providers for older Texans to assist guarantee their well-being, dignity and decisions. Applications are also in place to assist household caregivers.

Skilled HHS workers and paid contractors will help eligible older Texans entry providers that:

• Create alternatives to dwell independently in their very own properties.
• Present details about state and federal advantages and authorized rights.
• Give household caregivers the instruments to do their job.
• Present entry to meals at residence or in group settings.
• Establish assisted dwelling facility care, daytime packages or nursing residence providers that they could qualify for.
• Advocate for individuals who dwell in assisted dwelling services or nursing properties.
• Information folks to the best long-term care providers.

Some packages, reminiscent of these supplied by native space companies on ageing, can be found to everybody who’s age 60 or older. Nevertheless, different providers, reminiscent of in-home care or nursing residence care, are based mostly on earnings and assets.

To be taught extra, assessment the checklist of all HHS long-term packages and providers, then entry the easy-to-use search perform to search out your native HHS workplace, ageing and incapacity useful resource middle, space company on ageing or native authority. You can even go to yourtexasbenefits.com to search out out about obtainable providers and to use for advantages.

In case you are not sure how HHS will help, name 855-937-2372 to speak to a educated skilled who will information you to the best choices to assist meet your wants.

Applications for Older Texans

Eligible older Texans might qualify for federal and state packages that pay advantages, pay well being care prices or present meals. If you wish to join one in every of these packages, go to the web sites under to search out out if you happen to may be eligible or to use for advantages.

• Medicaid supplies well being protection to eligible low-income adults, kids, pregnant girls, and people who find themselves older or who’ve disabilities. Every state has its personal guidelines about who’s eligible and what Medicaid covers. Some folks qualify for each Medicare and Medicaid. To search out out if you happen to may be eligible for Medicaid in Texas, go to yourtexasbenefits.com .
• Medicare is our nation’s medical health insurance program for folks age 65 or older. Individuals youthful than age 65 with sure disabilities or everlasting kidney failure may qualify for Medicare. This system helps with the price of well being care, however it doesn’t cowl all medical bills or the price of most long-term care.
• Social Safety pays a month-to-month profit to older Individuals, employees who grow to be disabled, and households during which a partner or guardian dies. If you retire, your Social Safety cost is predicated in your common earnings over your working profession. In case you are disabled, your profit is predicated on the quantity of earnings on which you’ve paid Social Safety taxes.
• Supplemental Safety Earnings (SSI) pays month-to-month advantages to folks with restricted earnings and assets who’re disabled, blind, or age 65 or older. A few of your earnings and your assets, together with your own home and your automotive, aren’t counted when deciding whether or not you’re eligible for SSI.
• Supplemental Vitamin Help Program (SNAP) (previously often called meals stamps) permits thousands and thousands of Individuals to purchase nutritious meals at their native grocery shops. It’s obtainable for each low-income single folks and households. To search out out if you happen to may be eligible for SNAP, go to the Your Texas Advantages web site. Households during which all members are both older adults (age 60 and older) or folks with disabilities are eligible to take part within the Texas Simplified Utility Undertaking (TSAP), which makes the SNAP software course of simpler and supplies three years of advantages at a time as a substitute of six months.