HHS Texas - Government benefits in TX

Public aid and government assistance from Texas HHS

Public aid and government assistance from Texas HHS. Find how to get government benefits in Texas for low-income families. Get applications to Your Texas Benefit programs, including SNAP food stamps, Medicaid health insurance, TANF temporary cash assistance and subsidized day care programs among other government HHS benefits.

Food assistance from HHS in Texas

Find how to apply for public assistance in TX below, including by city or county as well as online at the Your Texas Benefits online portal

The government assistance will assist low-income families, the unemployed, seniors or disabled in Texas. If financial help, such as EBT card for food stamps or cash assistance, is combined with job training and self-sufficiency.

Many of the social service type programs from Heath and Human Services (HHS) are for low income families with children, single moms, senior citizens, and the disabled. The Texas Benefit programs focus on meeting basic and critical needs.

This can include providing food, groceries, cash assistance along with job opportunities, and medical bill assistance. Call your local social service office to get information or apply, and the contact information is below. Or get eligibility or apply online at the HHS YourTexasBenefits, and the website is also in Spanish.

Food assistance from HHS in Texas: Texas Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will help families feed their families. It is the government run food stamp type program, and it is administered at the state level by the Texas Department of Human Services (DHS).

EBT cards will be given to low income families and the working poor. You can learn more from your local county social service office. Applicants also need to apply in their county or online.

SNAP, or food stamps in Texas, is paid for by public funds and it can help the working poor as well as low-income families buy groceries on a monthly basis. Vouchers are provided in the form of debit EBT cards, and they are accepted at many supermarkets and retailers across Texas. SNAP assistance is available to qualifying seniors, elderly people, families, and single adults.

When in a crises or running out of groceries, learn how to get expedited SNAP food stamp EBT cards

Job training is offered from the: Texas Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Employment and Training program,

Free or low cost public health care in Texas

which is often combined with SNAP food stamps. It can help low income families and individuals acquire long-term independence and self-sufficiency. It works by preparing clients for work and by helping them find a job.

Access a wide variety of HHS employment services through job training activities as well as more general work-related education. The main objective of the Employment and Training program is to assist food stamp and SNAP recipients to both help them find and maintain employment.

This can include using programs such as the provision of a resource known as work opportunities for 18- to 50-year-old Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs). Individuals can also get help through participation in education, training activities, and public work programs.

The: Texas Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC

) can provide free food, groceries, and support to new mothers, pregnant women, and young children of low income families. This can help families and importantly children learn about nutrition, eat well, and in general stay healthy.

The public funded WIC program can also offer nutrition education and counseling, nutritious foods, and help people find access to health care. This Texas Benefit is often combined with food stamps as well. All of this, and much more, is provided to low-income women, infants, and children through the Texas Special Supplemental Nutrition or WIC Program.

Free or low cost public health care in Texas: Texas Health Steps

- Free dental checkups and medical care is offered for children, young adults age 20 and younger as well as teenagers. All can get help, including prescriptions, from the federal government Medicaid program or other state resources.

Texas Health Steps can provide qualified individuals with free health and/or dental care, and there are also medications for free from the state or drug companies. Private health insurance can be paid for by the: Health Insurance Premium Payment . It is a federal government Medicaid type program that helps families pay for health insurance and the resulting medical bills.

Dental care may be offered as well by HHS. It can help families that receive private health insurance, or those that have a child or a spouse with Medicaid. This Medicaid service will pay the Texas family's private health insurance bills if the total cost of that insurance is less than the total cost of health care if the patient had Medicaid.

The total cost of the insurance includes the coinsurance, deductibles, as well as the premium. The entire family’s cost will be paid for too by the Department of Human Services. Medical transportation from Your Texas Benefits

Texas HHS free cash assistance or grant money

is available. If you need a ride to the dentist, doctor, or a local drug store in order to access your Medicaid services, dial 1-877-633-8747 for transportation. This Department of Human Services program in Texas focuses on disabled adults as well as senior citizens.

Texas Medicaid Wellness Benoit Program

– This state government funded resource is special health program for people who have long-lasting or serious health conditions and who also receive public assistance from Medicaid.

Some of the serious health conditions covered include asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, and more. Texas Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Medical Plans can provide free or low cost insurance and medical assistance to children and/or mothers who are pregnant, which is called perinatal coverage.

Dental Services are also provided by CHIP in Texas. All teenagers and children with CHIP medical coverage will receive their health and dental services through a CHIP dental or medical plan. Most children and teens with Medicaid coverage will also get access to various social services and receive their dental assistance through a Medicaid dental plan.

In total, there are three primary dental plans to choose from, and the parameters for each our below. All low income Texas residents with government Medicaid, regardless of their age, who live in facilities such as Intermediate Care Facilities for Mentally Retarded Persons (ICFs/MR), nursing homes, or state of Texas supported living centers can qualify.

Low income people with Medicaid who are age 21 and older can get medical care from CHIP. Last, but not least, children and young adults in the state’s foster care program who receive their dental services through STAR Health can qualify.

Texas HHS free cash assistance or grant money: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families in Texas

(at one point called Aid to Families) will provide cash as well as public aid to qualified low income or poor families in Texas. Different types of social services as well as medical and financial assistance is provided to children as well as their parents.

Funds can help people pay bills, gas for work, clothes and provide for their families. There is also emergency cash aid applications at the YourTexasBenefits site.

TANF in Texas can offer households various types of Medicaid benefits as well as health care, and qualified individuals can also receive monthly cash disbursements. Your Texas Benefit of cash aid from TANF is also often offered along with food stamp applications and CEAP energy bill help - among other public assistance programs.

State and government funds are used to provide cash assistance to eligible families who need help due to the unemployment or underemployment of a parent. Read more details on Texas TANF cash assistance Texas Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) from HHS will help people pay their electric and utility bills.

It was created to help low income households across Texas in paying for a host of utility bills bills and assist them in addressing their immediate energy needs. Get free grant money from the Your Texas Benefits online program during the winter or summer months for paying electric bills, heat, and more.

Applying for public assistance benefits from Texas Counties and Cities

In addition, the government utility program will also encourage clients to control energy costs for years to come through various conservation tactics as well as education. HHS provides free weatherization and critical home repairs, such as for a roof, if is to save energy.

The Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program provides financial assistance and cash grants to low income families, senior citizens, and disabled households. These individuals historically have been most vulnerable to the high cost of utility bills, and often need public assistance in paying for home cooling and heating bills that may result from fluctuations in energy use.

So CEAP can offer financial assistance and grants, and it can pay up to four of the client’s highest utility bills during the year. In addition, the resource can provide assistance during severe weather, supply shortages or in an energy-related crisis.

There are other payment plans, financial aid from utility companies, public grants and more. Find additional utility bill help in Texas from companies Save money on cooling and utility bills from the:

Texas Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP)

. This is a free program to income qualified families, and it can assist them with the weatherization of their homes. Priority is given to low-income disabled adults, el