May 17th, 2025
New Employment Readiness Assessment Tool
On January 1, 2025, the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), implemented the new employment readiness benefit available to individuals enrolled in the Home and Community-based Services (HCS), Texas Home Living (TxHmL), or Deaf Blind with Multiple Disabilities (DBMD) waiver programs for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities. HHSC is required to assess all settings where employment readiness is provided for compliance with federal Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Settings requirements at 42 CFR 441.301(c)(4) before employment readiness can be provided in the setting.
All settings not previously assessed for compliance with the HCBS Settings Rule must conduct a self-assessment using the Employment Readiness Self-Assessment tool and submit it to Medicaid_HCBS@hhs.texas.gov for review and approval before providing employment readiness.
This tool is now available to providers at Employment Readiness Provider Self-Assessment Tool: HCBS Settings Rule Compliance. See Information Letters 2025-05 and 2025-01 for more details.
March 30th, 2025
Additional Information on HCBS Settings Rule Compliance for Employment Readiness Providers
HHSC has published Information Letter 2025-05 with additional information concerning Employment Readiness (ER). This letter provides information for financial management services agencies (FMSAs), local intellectual and developmental disability authorities (LIDDAs), and providers of Deaf Blind with Multiple Disabilities (DBMD), Home and Community-based Services (HCS) and Texas Home Living (TxHmL) services regarding the steps to ensure compliance with the HCBS settings rules for settings where employment readiness services are provided.
An on-site visit is required to beassessed for compliance with HCBS settings compliance rules, before providing ER services.
Current Individualized Skills and Socialization Providers In 2023, HHSC’s Contract Administration and Provider Monitoring (CAPM) staff conducted on-site visits to individualized skills and socialization provider settings to assess for compliance with HCBS Settings requirements (IL 2023-28). Providers previously assessed by CAPM staff for compliance with the HCBS Settings requirements do not need to be reassessed before the provider delivers employment readiness services in the same setting. Appropriate evidence of compliance is an email from HHSC confirming compliance. Providers who have been assessed but did not receive confirmation of compliance may reach out by email to Medicaid_HCBS@hhs.texas.gov using the subject heading: “Employment Readiness Request for Confirmation of Settings Compliance.”
If the provider of ER has not already had CAPM staff conduct an on-site visit, then they will have to complete a “self-assessment”, submit it, and then have an on-site visit to check for HCBS settings compliance.
First the ER provider must complete the self-assessment prior to the on-site visit and submit the self-assessment along with policies and other requested documents. The provider should conduct a self-assessment using the HHSC-developed assessment tool. The tool can be obtained by emailing Medicaid_HCBS@hhs.texas.gov using the subject heading “Request for Employment Readiness Self-Assessment.”
March 20th, 2025
Employment Readiness Q&A with Examples Document
HHSC has published the Employment Readiness Questions & Answers with Examples Document for Local Intellectual and Developmental Disability Authorities (LIDDAs), Deaf Blind with Multiple Disabilities (DBMD), Home and Community-based Services (HCS) and Texas Home Living (TxHmL) Programs. The document provides answers to questions about employment readiness and examples of scenarios that differentiate between employment readiness, individualized skills and socialization and employment assistance services.
January 14th, 2025
HHSC Publishes Information on Implementation of Employment Readiness
Note: The previous publication had a broken link. Please find the correct link below.
HHSC has published Information Letter 2025-01 Implementation of Employment Readiness. This letter provides a description of employment readiness and guidance related to the implementation of the new service.
***Don’t forget, the IPC form for TxHmL and HCS have been updated to include Employment Readiness Link to TxHmL form 8582 and Link to HCS form 3608 IPC
December 1st, 2024
New Service: Employment Readiness is available in the following waiver programs: HCS, TxHmL, and DBMB
As required by House Bill 4169 (88th Legislature, Regular Session, 2023), the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) is adding a new service similar to prevocational services to the Home and Community-based Services (HCS), Texas Home Living (TxHmL), and Deaf Blind with Multiple Disabilities (DBMD) waivers. The new service, employment readiness, will be available on Jan. 1, 2025.
Employment Readiness and Provider Fiscal Compliance Review Process Webinar
HHSC will host a webinar on Dec. 11 from 10 a.m. to noon for the Home and Community-based Services (HCS), Texas Home Living (TxHmL), and Deaf Blind with Multiple Disabilities (DBMD) program providers, local intellectual and developmental disability authorities, financial management service agencies and other interested parties.
The webinar will provide information on the new:
- Employment readiness service coming to the HCS, TxHmL and DBMD Programs on Jan. 1, 2025.
- Provider fiscal compliance review process in the HCS and TxHmL Programs, effective on Jan. 1, 2025.
Email questions about the webinar to your program policy:
What’s Employment Readiness?
Employment readiness provides assistance that prepares an individual for employment in the community. It helps an individual develop basic habilitative skills or achieve generalized vocational goals. Employment readiness activities cannot be directed at developing skills related to a specific type of employment.
