funding
Texas
Texas STAR+PLUS HCBS lists stairway lifts under adaptive aids and wheelchair-accessible showers under minor home modifications. Each service has its own approval rules. The documents we checked do not settle coverage for a permanently installed walk-in tub. Start with your managed care organization or the state's interest-list process.
Match the project to the service
STAR+PLUS Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) helps eligible members receive long-term services in the community. A service listing does not approve a person, product or installation. The Texas eligibility handbook describes the program's entry and assessment process.
| Project | What the Texas handbook supports | What still needs a decision |
|---|---|---|
| Stair lift | Section 6410 lists stairway lifts as adaptive aids. | The managed care organization must review the requested item and authorize it in the service plan. |
| Accessible shower | Section 6620 lists wheelchair-accessible showers as minor home modifications. | Ask which removal, plumbing and installation work the plan approves. |
| Permanently installed walk-in tub | The records checked here leave this product question unanswered. | Generic bathtub modifications and bathtub seat lifts do not establish approval for a new walk-in tub. |
The adaptive-aids handbook and minor-home-modification handbook describe separate services. Keep those categories separate when asking about a quote.
Check entry and the interest list
The eligibility handbook lists age 21 or older, Texas residence, full Medicaid financial eligibility, citizenship, nursing-facility level of care, an unmet service need and an appropriate living setting among the entry criteria. The program also reviews the individual service plan and its cost limit.
The handbook describes an interest list. Contact HHSC Interest List Management, or your managed care organization if you already receive STAR+PLUS. It also describes an upgrade path for some current Medicaid members and a Money Follows the Person path from a nursing facility. Ask which process applies to your circumstances and whether you can be assessed now.
Keep the spending limits attached to their service
The home-modification rules in section 6630 include a lifetime limit, a later repair allowance and an exception for an identified service-plan need. The table retains the source wording and conditions.
STAR+PLUS HCBS: source wording for limits and assessment
On a narrow screen, scroll the table to see every column.
| Program rule | Source wording | Source and read date |
|---|---|---|
| Service limits | There is a lifetime limit of $7,500 per member for this service and $300 yearly for repairs. Once the $7,500 cost limit is reached, only $300 per year per member, excluding associated fees, will be allowed for repairs, replacement, or additional modifications. The managed care organization (MCO) is responsible for obtaining cost-effective modifications authorized on the member's individual service plan (ISP) that is more fully described in 6117, Service Planning, and Title 1 Texas Administration Code (TAC) §353.1153(c)(1). If a member’s ISP includes an identified need for minor home modifications (MHMs) that exceed the lifetime benefit limit, the MCO is permitted to exceed the cost limit without prior approval from Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC). The MCO must not include any costs over the lifetime limit on any cost reports, claims, encounters or financial statistical reports. | Texas Health and Human Services October 23, 2026 |
| Assessment requirements | In order to ensure cost-effectiveness in the purchase of minor home modifications (MHMs), the managed care organization (MCO) must: determine and document the needs and preferences of the member for the MHM; and document the necessity for the MHM. The MCOs have their own policies and procedures in regards to bidding, awarding contracts, doing inspections and completing MHMs. | Texas Health and Human Services October 23, 2026 |
The home-modification limit does not establish a stair-lift award. Stairway lifts appear in the separate adaptive-aids service. Ask the plan to identify the applicable benefit, remaining amount and written authorization for your work.
Prepare the assessment and quote
Section 6610 requires the managed care organization to document the need for a home modification. Its own bidding, contract, inspection and completion procedures apply. The handbook excludes work that adds to the home's total square footage.
Bring an itemized quote and ask:
- Which service covers the proposed equipment and building work?
- What supporting assessment or medical-need documentation does the plan require?
- Who must approve the service plan, installer and quote?
- What must happen before you sign a contract or pay a deposit?
- Which features or work would you need to pay for yourself?
Compare the work with our stair-lift quote guide, walk-in tub quote guide and tub-to-shower scope guide. Their seller prices describe the seller's stated region and configuration. They are not Texas price averages or funding awards.
Scope of this Texas guide
This page covers the named STAR+PLUS HCBS services. It does not describe every Texas waiver or decide personal eligibility. New York readers have a different state program in the NHTD home modification guide; do not carry either state's answer into the other. We re-read the cited state pages on September 26, 2026, local time. Confirm current intake and project approval with the program before relying on funding in your budget.
Common questions
Does Texas Medicaid pay for every walk-in tub?
The STAR+PLUS documents checked here do not establish coverage for every permanently installed walk-in tub. Ask the managed care organization to assess the exact product and installation work.
Is a stair lift part of the home-modification limit?
The handbook lists stairway lifts under adaptive aids. Minor home modifications have a separate service limit. Ask the managed care organization which service and approval rules apply to your project.
Can I start work while waiting for an assessment?
Ask the managed care organization what approval and service-plan steps must happen before you order equipment, sign a contract or pay a deposit. This guide does not establish reimbursement for work you arrange yourself.
Sources
Sources (3)
Texas Health and Human Services: 1200, STAR+PLUS HCBS Program Eligibility (2 excerpts)
Texas Health and Human Services: 1200, STAR+PLUS HCBS Program Eligibility
1200, STAR+PLUS HCBS Program Eligibility, 1200, STAR+PLUS HCBS Program Eligibility.
Publication date: not captured. Read October 23, 2026.
The STAR+PLUS HCBS program is provided by authority granted to the state of Texas. It allows delivery of long-term services and supports (LTSS) that help members live in the community in lieu of a nursing facility (NF). To be eligible for services under the STAR+PLUS HCBS program, the applicant or member must meet the following criteria: be 21 years or older; have full Medicaid financial eligibility; be a U.S. citizen; be a resident of Texas; have an approved medical necessity (MN) for an NF level of care (LOC); have an individual service plan (ISP) with services under the established cost limit; have an unmet need for at least one STAR+PLUS HCBS program service; and be living in an appropriate living situation.
Texas Health and Human Services: 1200, STAR+PLUS HCBS Program Eligibility
1200, STAR+PLUS HCBS Program Eligibility, 1200, STAR+PLUS HCBS Program Eligibility.
Publication date: not captured. Read October 23, 2026.
An individual is eligible to be assessed for the STAR+PLUS Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) program when their name reaches the top of the STAR+PLUS HCBS program interest list. An individual is placed on the interest list by contacting the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) Interest List Management (ILM) unit or their managed care organization (MCO) if he or she is already enrolled in STAR+PLUS. For medical assistance only (MAO) individuals, once their name reaches the top of the interest list, select an MCO who begins the STAR+PLUS HCBS program eligibility determination process. For individuals currently receiving Medicaid and who are already enrolled with an MCO, they may be able to bypass the interest list through the upgrade process. An individual living in a nursing facility (NF) may become eligible for the STAR+PLUS HCBS program by pursuing the Money Follows the Person (MFP) process.
Texas Health and Human Services: 6400, Adaptive Aids and Medical Supplies (1 excerpt)
Texas Health and Human Services: 6410 List of Adaptive Aids and Medical Supplies
6400, Adaptive Aids and Medical Supplies, 6410 List of Adaptive Aids and Medical Supplies.
Publication date: not captured. Read October 23, 2026.
stairway lifts;
Texas Health and Human Services: 6600, Minor Home Modifications (4 excerpts)
Texas Health and Human Services: 6620 List of Minor Home Modifications
6600, Minor Home Modifications, 6620 List of Minor Home Modifications.
Publication date: not captured. Read October 23, 2026.
wheelchair accessible showers
Texas Health and Human Services: 6610 Responsibilities Pertaining to Minor Home Modifications
6600, Minor Home Modifications, 6610 Responsibilities Pertaining to Minor Home Modifications.
Publication date: not captured. Read October 23, 2026.
In order to ensure cost-effectiveness in the purchase of minor home modifications (MHMs), the managed care organization (MCO) must: determine and document the needs and preferences of the member for the MHM; and document the necessity for the MHM. The MCOs have their own policies and procedures in regards to bidding, awarding contracts, doing inspections and completing MHMs.
Texas Health and Human Services: 6630 Minor Home Modification Service Cost Lifetime Limit
6600, Minor Home Modifications, 6630 Minor Home Modification Service Cost Lifetime Limit.
Publication date: not captured. Read October 23, 2026.
There is a lifetime limit of $7,500 per member for this service and $300 yearly for repairs. Once the $7,500 cost limit is reached, only $300 per year per member, excluding associated fees, will be allowed for repairs, replacement, or additional modifications. The managed care organization (MCO) is responsible for obtaining cost-effective modifications authorized on the member's individual service plan (ISP) that is more fully described in 6117, Service Planning, and Title 1 Texas Administration Code (TAC) §353.1153(c)(1). If a member’s ISP includes an identified need for minor home modifications (MHMs) that exceed the lifetime benefit limit, the MCO is permitted to exceed the cost limit without prior approval from Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC). The MCO must not include any costs over the lifetime limit on any cost reports, claims, encounters or financial statistical reports.
Texas Health and Human Services: 6600, Minor Home Modifications
6600, Minor Home Modifications, 6600, Minor Home Modifications.
Publication date: not captured. Read October 23, 2026.
Adaptations that add to the total square footage of the home are excluded from this benefit.
For general planning. Confirm program rules with the administering agency or your plan, and installation details with a qualified professional. This site does not determine benefits or medical suitability.