Community Attendant Services (CAS) in Texas — Who Qualifies?

Here's something many Texas families don't know: you don't need full Medicaid to get Medicaid-funded help at home. The Community Attendant Services (CAS) program pays for a personal care attendant for people whose income is too high for regular Medicaid — and it has no waiting list.

For families in Dallas–Fort Worth caring for an aging parent, CAS is often the single most useful program nobody told them about.

What Is CAS?

Community Attendant Services is a Texas Medicaid program (under Section 1929(b) of the Social Security Act) that provides non-technical, medically related personal attendant care at home. It exists specifically for people who are not eligible for regular Medicaid in the community but still need — and can't afford — daily hands-on help.

Like Primary Home Care (PHC), CAS is an entitlement: if your loved one qualifies, services must be provided. No interest list, no waiting for funding.

What Does a CAS Attendant Help With?

The covered services are the same as PHC:

Bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, and skin/hair care
Transfers, walking assistance, and feeding
Help with self-administered medications
Meal preparation, cleaning, laundry
Shopping, prescription pick-up, and escort to medical appointments

Skilled nursing tasks are not included — CAS is non-medical care. If your loved one needs wound care or injections, that's home health; see Home Care vs. Home Health Care.

Who Qualifies for CAS?

Financial eligibility (2026): monthly income up to $2,982 for an individual ($5,964 for a couple) — that's roughly three times the SSI limit, which is why many people who were "denied Medicaid" still qualify for CAS. Countable resources must be under $2,000 for an individual ($3,000 for a couple); the home you live in doesn't count. Financial eligibility is determined by HHS's Medicaid for the Elderly and People with Disabilities (MEPD) unit.

Medical need: a doctor completes a Practitioner's Statement of Medical Need (Form 3052) confirming a health condition that limits daily activities.

Functional need: an HHS caseworker scores daily-living abilities on the standard assessment (Form 2060). A score of 24+, needing at least six hours of help per week, with at least one personal care task in the plan, generally qualifies.

Age: unlike most Texas community care programs, CAS has no minimum age — children and adults can both qualify.

Two things worth knowing before you apply: CAS provides attendant services only (it is not a full Medicaid card with doctor visits and prescriptions), and because it's a Medicaid long-term-care benefit, the state's Medicaid Estate Recovery Program can apply. A benefits counselor or elder law attorney can explain what that means for your family — we're happy to point you to resources when you call.

How to Apply for CAS

Call Texas HHS Community Care Services intake at 888-241-1570 (or 2-1-1) and ask to apply for Community Attendant Services.
Complete Form H1200 (the standard benefits application, available at yourtexasbenefits.com) so MEPD staff can determine financial eligibility.
A caseworker visits the home for the functional assessment, and your doctor completes Form 3052.
Once approved, you choose a licensed home care agency to provide the attendant. Approval can even pay the agency retroactively for up to three months of care in some cases.

Can a Family Member Be the Paid CAS Attendant?

Often, yes. A relative can be hired by the agency as the attendant, or the family can use the Consumer Directed Services (CDS) option to employ them directly. Spouses can't be paid under CAS, and a parent can't be the paid attendant for their minor child — but an adult child caring for a parent is exactly the arrangement these rules were designed to allow. Details and pay rates: How Much Does Texas Pay Family Caregivers?

Talk to Rahma Home Care Agency

We serve Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Plano, and surrounding communities, and we walk families through CAS applications regularly — from the first intake call to choosing an attendant your loved one trusts.

Call (945) 286-4004 for a free consultation.

Program rules and figures are current as of 2026 and can change; income limits typically adjust each January. Official details: Texas Health and Human Services (hhs.texas.gov).