How to get services

For publicly funded intellectual and developmental disability services in Texas, the usual starting point is the local authority that serves the county where the person lives. That authority is called a LIDDA. This page walks through the path in plain language. It is a general overview, not personal advice. Program rules can change; confirm the current steps with the local authority and with HHSC.

1. Find and call your local authority

Use our LIDDA directory, transcribed from HHSC’s official list, or search HHSC’s services locations page. Tell them you want an intake for intellectual and developmental disability services and that you may be looking at residential options, including group homes.

2. Intake and eligibility determination

The LIDDA is responsible for intake and for determining whether a person is eligible for IDD services and supports. You should be given information about the range of options — not only one kind of home. HHSC publishes an Explanation of IDD Services and Supports (PDF) and a residential options brochure (PDF) that LIDDAs are expected to share. Ask for those documents if you do not receive them.

3. Say which services you want to be considered for

When you are ready, the LIDDA will help you identify preferred services. For HCS and Texas Home Living, that preference is what leads to an interest-list record. For an ICF/IID community home or a State Supported Living Center, the LIDDA can explain the enrollment or admission process, which is not the same as the waiver interest list.

4. Interest lists for HCS and TxHmL

Demand for some community programs is higher than available funding, so a person’s name may be placed on an interest list. HHSC says applicants are generally served in the order they were added, and that people can receive other Medicaid or community services they are eligible for while they wait — receiving other services does not, by itself, take someone off the list. We do not publish wait times; they vary and we will not invent them. Read the official interest list explanation and our interest-list guide.

Important and easy to miss: HHSC determines eligibility for HCS or TxHmL when a person is offered a chance to enroll, not at the moment their name is added to the list. Being on the list is not a decision that services have been approved.

5. If you are looking at an ICF/IID home

You can browse licensed ICF/IID homes on this site and verify each one in TULIP. A vacancy, the provider’s own admission criteria, and the LIDDA’s enrollment help all matter. A home may have its own waiting list. Visiting in person, and asking clear questions, is still essential. Data on a website can lag what is true on the ground.

6. Other waiver programs

Some other long-term programs also use interest lists (for example CLASS, DBMD, MDCP, and STAR+PLUS HCBS). HHSC directs people to call 877-438-5658 for interest-list help on programs that are not handled through the LIDDA in the same way as HCS and TxHmL. Confirm the current number and process on the HHSC interest list page.

If you are an adult looking for your own home

You have a right to be part of decisions about your services, to visit places, to ask questions, and to speak up if something is not working. A local authority can explain options and help with applications. You can also change providers in some programs, and you can ask the IDD Ombudsman for help understanding those rights: 800-252-8154. Bring a family member, friend, or advocate to meetings if you want one. This site can help you look up licensed ICF/IID homes; it cannot decide for you, and a listing is not a recommendation.

If you are an adult looking for your own home

If you are stuck or have a complaint

The IDD Ombudsman can answer questions and help with complaints about HCS, TxHmL, or local authority services: 800-252-8154.