STAR+PLUS: how Texas Medicaid helps with long-term care in El Paso

What is STAR+PLUS, and what can it pay for in El Paso?

STAR+PLUS is Texas Medicaid's managed care program for older adults and people with disabilities, and its Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) waiver pays for personal attendant care, adult day care, respite, nursing, adaptive aids, minor home modifications, emergency response systems and assisted living services for people who would otherwise need nursing facility care.

Members get a health plan and a service coordinator who builds the service plan. El Paso's many licensed personal assistance agencies and adult day centers deliver much of that care. Assisted living services are paid only at facilities that contract with the member's health plan, so ask each El Paso facility whether it does.

Who qualifies for STAR+PLUS HCBS in 2026?

An applicant must be a Texas resident and U.S. citizen or qualified non-citizen, 65 or older or 21 or older with a disability, meet nursing facility level of care, and in 2026 have monthly income under $2,982 and countable assets under $2,000 for an individual, with the home and one vehicle generally exempt.

• Texas resident and U.S. citizen or qualified non-citizen
• Age 21 or older and disabled, or age 65 or older
• Meets Nursing Facility Level of Care
• Monthly income under $2,982 for an individual
• Countable assets under $2,000 for an individual, with the home and one vehicle generally exempt

The income limit is three times the federal SSI benefit, and it changes each January. Married couples have spousal protections; see protecting a spouse at home. A Texas elder law attorney can explain income trusts for people slightly over the income limit.

Does STAR+PLUS pay for room and board in El Paso assisted living?

No. The waiver pays for care services in assisted living but not room and board; the resident pays rent, meals and utilities from their own income, keeping a personal needs allowance, and the facility must accept the Medicaid room-and-board arrangement.

That gap decides whether a private-pay resident who runs out of savings can stay. Before moving in, ask whether the facility contracts with STAR+PLUS plans, how many Medicaid residents it serves, and what room-and-board rate it charges them. In El Paso, 22 of the 31 licensed assisted living facilities are Type B, 6 are Type A and 3 are legacy Type C foster homes.

Is there a waiting list for STAR+PLUS in Texas?

Often, yes: people who are not already on Medicaid typically join an interest list for STAR+PLUS HCBS and wait to be released, while people already receiving Medicaid or leaving a nursing facility may have faster routes.

Join the interest list as early as possible by calling 2-1-1 or applying at YourTexasBenefits.com, even if you are not sure your parent will need it soon. Ask the Rio Grande Area Agency on Aging about other help while you wait, such as community care attendant services, meals or respite.

How do we apply for STAR+PLUS in El Paso?

Call 2-1-1 or apply at YourTexasBenefits.com to join the interest list, then complete the Medicaid application, a medical necessity assessment, health plan selection and a service plan with a service coordinator.

Have proof of income, bank statements, identification and medical information ready. Health plan availability in each service area changes with state contracts, so check HHSC's current health plans by service area listing for El Paso before choosing, and ask which plans the agencies and facilities you prefer work with.