Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS)

Overview

DSHS oversees programs, including disease prevention, EMS (Emergency Medical Services), health care professional licensing, and birth and death certificates. DSHS offers 2 programs specifically for families of children with disabilities or special health care needs.

Texas Department of State Health Services

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Mental Health Services

Mental health is a special and important health care need. Approximately 1 in 4 people will experience some type of emotional disturbance or mental health care need in their lifetime. And many children with disabilities or special health care needs require extra emotional support.

DSHS has 37 Local Mental Health Authorities across the state that offer mental health services. Each of these providers has a direct hotline, and you can find those phone numbers on the Local Mental Health Authority search page. Or you can call 2-1-1 to get connected to your Local Mental Health Authority.

If you think your child is in need of mental health support, please see our Mental Health page to learn more. And read on.

To Get DSHS Mental Health Services for Your Child or Teenager

• Call your Local Mental Health Authority. They will ask questions to help find you the services you need during a phone screening.
• Call 2-1-1 or see the Texas Health and Human Services website to get the name, location, and phone number for your local mental health agency.
• If your child is not in immediate danger, they will give you a time to come in for an assessment.
• If your child is in crisis, they will send a mobile crisis unit to come visit your home or send you to a local hospital or care facility for treatment. See our Mental Health page for tips on how to handle a crisis the moment it’s happening.

DSHS Levels of Care

Once you have gotten in touch with DSHS, they will perform an assessment to determine what services your child and your family might need. During your first appointment, DSHS will determine what level of care you need out of 5 possible levels.

• Level 1 is “medication management.” This provides your family with a minimum level of support, which could include help getting prescriptions so that your child can keep taking their medication.
• Level 2 is "targeted services." This provides your family with only one primary course of treatment, such as counseling services, skills training, or anger replacement training.
• Level 3 is "complex services." This provides your family with multiple treatments. For example, parents might need parent training, while a child needs counseling.
• Level 4 is "intensive family services.” This provides your family with wraparound services and intensive case management.
• There is a special level of care for children 3 to 5 years old. It is LOCYC, which stands for "Level of Care Young Child." In this case, the therapist works with the child and primary caregiver to guide the caregiver in helping their child.

Children With Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN) Services Program 

In addition to the health care benefits it provides to children with special health care needs, the CSHCN Services Program also offers other services through a network of local, community-based partner organizations. These local organizations provide a variety of services including case management, parent support, information and referral, respite, education, and training.

The CSHCN Services Program helps:

• Children, under the age of 21 with disabilities or special health care needs. The child must have a medical problem that has physical symptoms (this means the program does not cover clients with solely a mental, behavioral, or emotional condition or a delay in development).
• People of any age with cystic fibrosis.

The program helps with:

• Medical, dental, and mental health care.
• Medications.
• Special therapies, such as physical or occupational therapy.
• Case management services that can help with school meetings, transitioning to adulthood, and finding a medical home.
• Family support services, such as home or car modifications, respite care, or paying for childcare.
• Travel expenses for health care visits.
• Health insurance costs.

Visit the CSHCN Services Program website to see if your child is able to get into these programs.

Because the CSHCN Services Program is the payer of last resort (meaning it pays for services after any other insurance coverage pays first), you must also apply for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). You can learn more about these programs on the About Insurance and Health Care Benefits Programs page. If your child is receiving Medicaid or CHIP, you may still be able to get help from CSHCN Services Program, but only for services that Medicaid and CHIP do not cover.

Getting Into the CSHCN Services Program

Currently, the CSHCN Services Program has a waiting list for health care benefits. This means that new clients will not be able to receive health care benefits until they are removed from the waiting list. All clients, including those on the waiting list, are able to receive case management services at any time. They may be able to receive services through the CSHCN Services Program’s community-based contractors.

Once your child is enrolled in CSHCN Services Program, it is important to fill out the renewal paperwork every 12 months so that your child stays in the program. Otherwise, your child may be removed from the program and placed back on the CSHCN Services Program waiting list.

To sign up for the CSHCN Services Program

• Call 800-252-8023 to get connected to either a regional office or a community-based partner organization.
• Find your local CSHCN office and call them directly.
• Call or email a community partner near you to get help signing up. Find their contact information.

When you apply for the CSHCN Services Program you will be asked to provide:

• The CSHCN Services Program application form.
• Proof of resident address.
• Proof of date of birth.
• Proof of family income.
• Paperwork or identification cards for any other health insurance.
• A CSHCN Physician/Dental Assessment Form that your child’s doctor or dentist fills out with a diagnosis and what the program calls a determination of “urgent need for service.” This form must be signed by your child’s doctor or dentist.

You can find out more about the documents that will count as this proof on the CSHCN Services Program application form.

Get in Touch With DSHS

If you are trying to get in touch with DSHS, you can reach them:

• By phone: 888-963-7111.
• Online at the DSHS website.