PUBLIC BENEFITS: ELIGIBILITY/ENROLLMENT DELIVERY


The center focuses on health care access, immigrants' access to services, food and nutrition, the state's eligibility and enrollment system, and TANF.

Recent Eligibility/Enrollment Delivery Publications

TIERS of Relief (09/13/2001)
Continuation of the Texas Integrated Eligibility Redesign System (TIERS) project, which looked somewhat uncertain during the 77th Legislative Session, was finally approved at $137 million in Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), the General Appropriations Act for 2002 and 2003.This Policy Page provides information on the status of TIERS, prominent features of the systemâ€"including "STARS," the newly available online self-screener for benefitsâ€"and the timeline for future development and rollout of the system.

Omnibus Medicaid Bill, SB 1156, Sent to Governor (06/4/2001)
On Sunday, May 27th the Senate concurred in House amendments to SB 43, the Children's Medicaid Simplification bill. Later that afternoon, both houses adopted the Conference Committee report on SB 1156, an omnibus bill encompassing a wide range of Medicaid policy changes. This Policy Page provides a brief description of the final version of SB 1156; a separate issue detailing SB 43 was released earlier.

Status Report on Chidren's Medicaid Simplification (04/9/2001)
As many readers know, the Texas Legislature is considering a number of bills designed to simplify and streamline the process of applying for (or re-certifying for) Medicaid coverage for children (under age 19). Put simply, the goal of the bills is to make the process for children's Medicaid identical to that for CHIP, so that parents could submit CHIP's TexCare Partnership application to enroll their children in either program, with no additional steps needed.

Lege Ponders Immigrant Families Bills (04/3/2001)
The Texas Legislature is considering several bills which could improve the prospects for children by improving legal immigrants' access to safety net benefits. A brief description of the bills is provided.

Further DHS Staff Cuts Unjustifiable (02/9/2001)
The primary goal of eligibility policy reform is to minimize barriers for working families and ensure that clients receive the supports necessary to make a successful transition to self-sufficiency. Although early analyses of eligibility streamlining (by the Legislative Budget Board and the Comptroller's office) have proposed significant staff cuts for the Texas Department of Human Services (DHS), the center strongly recommends that these policy changes not be paired with any new reductions in DHS eligibility office staff.

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