Primary Home Care Program (PHC) in Texas — Eligibility & How to Apply

If a parent or loved one on Medicaid is struggling with everyday tasks — bathing, dressing, preparing meals — Texas has a program that pays for someone to come into the home and help. It's called Primary Home Care (PHC), and it's one of the most direct ways Texas Medicaid covers non-medical care at home.

At Rahma Home Care Agency, we help DFW families understand these programs every day. Here's how PHC works, who qualifies, and how to apply.

What Is Primary Home Care?

Primary Home Care is a Texas Health and Human Services (HHS) program that provides personal attendant services to adults whose health conditions limit their ability to perform daily activities. The attendant is not a nurse — PHC covers non-technical, medically related care, which is exactly the kind of help most aging Texans need first.

PHC is funded by Medicaid and delivered through state-licensed home care agencies. Because it's a Medicaid entitlement, there is no waiting list — if you qualify, you receive services.

What Services Does PHC Cover?

An attendant authorized through PHC can help with:

• Personal care: bathing, dressing, grooming, hair and skin care, toileting, feeding, transfers (getting in and out of bed or a chair), walking assistance, and help with self-administered medications
• Home support: meal preparation, cleaning the areas the client uses, laundry, and shopping (including picking up prescriptions)
• Escort: accompanying the client to medical appointments

PHC does not cover skilled nursing tasks such as injections, wound dressings, or tube feedings — those fall under home health care, which is a different service. (See our guide: Home Care vs. Home Health Care.)

Who Qualifies for PHC in Texas?

There are three parts to eligibility:

1. Medicaid coverage. The applicant must have full Medicaid while living in the community (for example, through SSI). There's no separate income test for PHC — Medicaid eligibility is the financial test. If your loved one doesn't have Medicaid, don't stop reading: the Community Attendant Services (CAS) program serves people with higher incomes who don't qualify for full Medicaid.

2. A documented medical need. A doctor or other practitioner completes a Practitioner's Statement of Medical Need (Form 3052) confirming a medical condition that limits daily activities.

3. A functional assessment. An HHS caseworker visits the home and scores the applicant's ability to perform daily tasks using a standard assessment (Form 2060). A score of at least 24, with a need for at least six hours of help per week, generally qualifies. At least one personal care task (like bathing or dressing) must be part of the care plan.

Applicants must be adults living at home or in the community — not in a hospital, nursing facility, or assisted living. PHC can authorize up to 50 hours of care per week depending on assessed need.

One important note: most adult Medicaid members in Texas are enrolled in STAR+PLUS managed care and receive these same attendant services through their health plan rather than "classic" PHC. The services and the kind of help are essentially the same — the difference is administrative. Our guide to STAR+PLUS and home care explains how that works.

How to Apply for Primary Home Care

1. Call Texas HHS Community Care Services intake at 888-241-1570. This is the statewide regional intake line for PHC and related programs. You can also start by dialing 2-1-1.
2. A caseworker schedules a home visit to complete the functional assessment and review Medicaid status.
3. The doctor completes Form 3052, which an HHS nurse reviews.
4. HHS authorizes services and sends the authorization to the home care agency you choose. Texas lets you pick the licensed agency that provides your attendant.
5. Eligibility decisions are generally made within about 30 days of a completed application.

Can a Family Member Be the Paid Attendant?

In many cases, yes. A family member can apply to be hired by the home care agency as the client's attendant, or the family can use the Consumer Directed Services (CDS) option to hire a relative directly. Spouses generally cannot be paid caregivers under PHC, but adult children, siblings, and other relatives often can. We cover the details and current pay rates in How Much Does Texas Pay Family Caregivers?

How Rahma Home Care Agency Can Help

Rahma Home Care Agency is a licensed home care agency serving Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Plano, and surrounding North Texas communities. We help families navigate the PHC application, coordinate with HHS, and — where the rules allow — hire your trusted family member as the paid caregiver.

Call us at (945) 286-4004 for a free consultation, or contact us online. We'll help you figure out whether PHC, CAS, or another Texas program fits your family's situation.

Program rules and figures are current as of 2026 and can change. Rahma Home Care Agency can confirm the latest requirements when you call; official details are published by Texas Health and Human Services (hhs.texas.gov).