October 15th, 2025

From Twogether Consulting

 

Hello Everyone!

This year’s AAIDD-Texas Chapter 49th Annual Convention was on Sept. 30th-Oct. 3rd, 2025, and we had a wonderful turnout.  As you may or may not know, this is my first year on the board, and it was an awesome experience.  I know there were some providers, LIDDA’s, and individuals who just didn’t have funding to come this year or possibly the timing was just not right, and we thank all of you who could make it to the convention.  This has been a tough year for everyone in IDD services, especially in the state of Texas.

Next year is our 50th anniversary,  so I hope even more of you can attend the convention next year.  We plan to go all out for the event!  Please don’t forget to sign up to be a member of AAIDD, which gets you so many professional resources, including free material, webinars, and discounts on other resources for IDD, as well discounted rate on the registration for our annual Texas Chapter of AAIDD Convention.

Martha Haythorn is a passionate self-advocate for persons with disabilities. She came all the way from Atlanta, Georgia to be with us, and she stole everyone’s heart this past week.  She was one of our wonderful presenters at the convention, and I  had a wonderful time getting to know her.  She was a recipient of a scholarship from Ruby’s Rainbow that allowed her to fund her college time at Georgia Tech and graduate.  She has been asked to present at Emory College in 2026 and now has a job providing social media marketing for a medical supplier of respiratory aids that also happens to help many individuals with Down Syndrome with respiratory issues.  Martha also sits on the Council for Developmental Disabilities for the State of Georgia.  It was my privilege to ask her to present this year and host her for her time here. So happy I got to meet her in person. Check out this great photo of Martha and me

For more information about this year’s convention and more pictures, please see our post-convention article in the “Updates” post on our website

 

We are still available for facility and 1 on 1 requests for webinars and live training in October and November.  Remember that you can view all calendar postings on our Twogether Consulting website. 

Here are the webinars for October and November will be on the following topics:

CIMS (Critical Incident Management Systems) training-October 28th  (2pm-4pm)

Developing the Implementation Plan/s in the HCS Program: Update 2025November 10th  (2pm-4pm)

Completing the IPC: Enrollments/Transfer/Revisions & Renewals-Update 2025-November 24th (10am-noon)

Host Home/Companion Care Service Provider: Job Description– moved to December

Study Prep Session: Provider Applicant Test For HCS/txHmL Programs  (for those persons applying to become HCS/TxHmL providers)- moved to December

ISS: TAC Updates, Clarifications, & Survey Expectations -in December

Please continue to check our website for these sessions.  We will post them on the website “calendar” page

We have a variety of pre-recorded webinar trainings for program managers, case managers and nurses, and direct care,  so feel free to email us at info@twogetherconsulting.com to inquire. Let us know what areas of training you would like, to help us plan future sessions.

Here are just a few of the recent pre-recorded webinar trainings available for purchase:  “Admission, Post-Admission & Other Follow-Up Requirements-HCS Program”, ICAPs/LON’s/IDRC’s-ICF Program” (Also have for HCS program), “Development of The Comprehensive Nursing Assessment & Nursing Service Plan-HCS or ICF”, “Best Practices For HCS Providers: How To Remain In Compliance With TAC Ch 565”, “Role & Responsbilities of The Q”,  “Surrogate Decision Making Process, Rights Restrictions & Immediate Jeopardy-ICF Program”, “Licensed ISS Providers: What You Really Need To Know.”, We also have a ore-recorded 5 part Care Coordination/Case Management series as well for the HCS program. All of these sessions and many more come with handouts as well as the link to the pre-recorded session

Please see our “Updates” section of the website for the latest news for IDD providers.

 Please feel free to e-mail us or contact Meghan Jones to schedule an appointment for consultation.  We have consultants available to provide consultation for HCS, TxHmL, ICF, and (some CLASS as well).  Please contact us directly for your care coordination, QIDP, direct care, and nursing needs or training at info@twogetherconsulting.com or you may contact our assistant, Meghan Jones at meghanjones.tx@gmail.com
We are happy to say that we will continue to provide whatever assistance we can with questions you may have, especially concerning HCS/TxHmL Care Coordination, Nursing, or general survey requirements from LTCR department in these programs.  We continue to assist those working with the ICF/IID program as well. We are currently providing both on-site in-person training at this time as well as in-person live training that is open to all providers.
FYI-We do still provide “mentoring” assistance for program managers, case managers, and especially for nurses.  We continue to provide nursing trainings and we can refer you out to our partner RN consultants, Nursing Innovations, who provide IDD nursing consultation, mentoring, and/or training for HCS, TxHmL, and ICF.  If you have new staff or nurses who need training quicker than classes posted on the calendar, please let me know and we do offer some of our previously recorded sessions for a low cost, which includes the handouts.   We are happy to schedule one-on-one training sessions and mentoring with one of our consultants.  We can also refer you to another resource, if more appropriate.  Twogether Consulting also continues to provide assistance with applying to become an HCS/TxHmL waiver provider.
For HCS Providers who want to purchase specific services and/or specific forms we have on our website, may go to the following link “purchase services” page. If you are having issues downloading forms, please feel free to contact us at info@twogetherconsulting.com and I will be happy to send them to you.
Thank you,
Julie Blacklock/ Owner & IDD Waiver Consultant