October 15th, 2026
From Twogether Consulting
Hello Everyone!
Hoping everyone is well. Changes are coming that will definitely affect HCS & TxHmL, especially this year, and I wanted to discuss some of those issues and concerns with you. Providers, individuals, and their families have fought alongside many organizations for years to move this country toward these individuals having lives built around choice and living in the community. Unfortunately, now decisions in Congress, federal agencies, and the courts are shaping whether that right is going to continue in the coming year. Federal Medicaid changes will likely limit or even worse cause a reduction in access to home and community-based services.
The DOJ will no longer rely on the federal guidance used to enforce the rights recognized in the Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision. This will result in a weakening of federal protection of the right to live in the community and in the most integrated setting. This is especially concerning in Texas. In addition, HHSC is still not releasing any Interest List slots, due to budgetary reasons. They are, however, releasing Promoting Independence (PI) slots. They have already released 69 slots PI slots this past month of September. The 89th Texas Legislature did not fund sufficient appropriations to cover cost growth and interest list reduction slots. We strongly encourage you to continue to engage with provider associations and advocacy groups such as The Arc to continue to educate policymakers, take legal action, and help the public understand the mounting threats.
We are pleased to have Eric Dodd from Neighborhood LTC Pharmacy as our guest presenter for Twogether Consulting’s Free IDD Resource Webinar in November. The webinar will be on November 16th, 2026, from noon to 1 pm. “IDD 2.0: Smarter Tech, Better Care, What’s Next?” Presented By Neighborhood LTC Pharmacy. Eric will be discussing EHRs (electronic health records), AI, medical innovation, and the future of IDD healthcare. Neighborhood LTC Pharmacy does currently interface with eMar EHR systems such as Therap, iCareManager, SETWorks, and QuickMAR.
You can click here, to register for free to attend. If you can’t attend on the day of, please feel free to register, as we will send everyone a copy of the link to the recorded session. It will also be available on our “Gotostage” page.
Please see “Twogether Consulting Webinar Trainings” below for more information. For a complete copy of the topics on this webinar session, feel free to check out our website calendars on the home page www.twogetherconsulting.com
Featured Upcoming October Disability & Inclusion Events Around Texas:
- Free ADA Training in Austin
- Date & Time: October 19, 2026, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
- Venue: Manchaca Road Branch Library, Austin, TX (RSVP at AccessVine)
- Description: Informative community training on the Americans with Disabilities Act, featuring complimentary food and drinks
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- Date & Time: Saturday, October 24, 2026 at 11:00 AM
- Venue: Peace Love Autism (502 Mason Street, Tomball, TX)
- Description: A sensory-aware Halloween event with crafts by ARISE FIT, activities with ACES ABA, and community vendors.
- Cost: Free for parents and children under two; $10 vendor spots.
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- Date & Time: Saturday, October 17, 2026 at 9:30 AM
- Venue: Crowley Recreation Center (405 South Oak Street, Crowley, TX)
- Description: A support morning focused on fellowship, food, and encouragement for caregivers, hosted by The Center for ASD and Noah’s Ministry.
- Cost: Free (RSVP required due to limited space).
Just a few important items:
HHSC is beginning to require HCS/TxHmL providers with open-ended contracts (those start with 001 and which HHSC refers to as evergreen contracts) to amend their contracts.
Some of you may have received a letter from HHSC indicating that they needed to renew or amend their contract so HHSC could assign an end date. This has to be done via CAMP which, heretofore, HHSC has stated CAMP was not fully operational and was only to be used for new contracts or renewal of contracts which had an end date. This letter gave providers 5 days to complete the process, or they would be placed on vendor hold and not be able to bill. HHSC later said the 5 days was an error and that one has 120 days. As of now, there has been no training on CAMP or any mailouts of informational letters or FAQs. There has also been no communication about HHSC now requiring all contracts with open-ended dates to now have an end date or information as to the process for securing an end date. There is an extensive backlog of requests for contract amendments, new contracts, and renewal contracts, and because of this, the new CAMP system was intentionally being rolled out slowly. My understanding is that development of training webinars, FAQs, informational letters, etc., regarding CAMP is in process and should be posted soon by HHSC.
Update: The:CAMP website updates are in the finalization stages with the contractor/approval processes, wherein they will be updating the website with training material access, etc., for CAMP very soon. The amendment process remains suspended. CAMP will be sending a communication out, but given the volume [of affected providers and contracts], it likely will not be a letter to all providers. They are determining how best to do that and may need to lean on providers [and other associations] a little for some help spreading the word.
Providers do need to have an account in CAMP. It is, however, highly recommended that you do not initiate the process until you receive the generic letter if you have an open-ended contract, as this may only create further delays in the process.
TWOGETHER CONSULTING WEBINAR TRAINING:
Nov 2026!
Free Webinar Series
November 16, 2026 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Hosted By: Twogether Consulting
Presented By: Eric Dodd, Pharmacy Consultant (Texas) For Neighborhood LTC Pharmacy
“IDD 2.0: Smarter Tech, Better Care, What’s Next?”
FREE IDD RESOURCE WEBINAR REGISTRATION
For other upcoming classes, go to the calendar on our home page at: www.twogetherconsulting.com
You can also contact us at info@twogetherconsulting.com if you would like to register for any of the trainings before the info is posted on the site.
Note: Our hourly off-site consultation fee is $90/hr. We do offer discounted rates for current clients. We have updated the website concerning this rate change. Feel free to contact us at info@twogetherconsulting.com to request an appointment for a consultation or mentoring time, or you can email our administrative assistant, Meghan Jones, to make an appointment at: meghanjones.tx@gmail.com
Please continue to check our website for webinars and live trainings. We will post them on the website “calendar” page
We have a variety of pre-recorded webinar trainings for program managers (HCS), administrators (ICF & ISS), case managers, QIDPs, 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 pre-recorded 5-part Care Coordination/Case Management series, a 4-part Nursing series for HCS, and a 3-part Nursing series for ICF available. These trainings are epecially important for new providers. All these sessions come with handouts as well as the link to the pre-recorded session
Please contact Meghan Jones at: meghanjones.tx@gmail.com. Most of these pre-recorded sessions run $65-$75/person. We can provide the handouts as well as a link to the recording, once you have paid. Please notify Meghan Jones, for payment and to receive the link to registration for the training on “Gotowebinar” and handouts for the session.
Please see our “Updates” section of the website for the latest news for IDD providers.
