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Texas home care policies & procedures, built to 26 TAC Chapter 558
Texas requires a written policy and procedure manual to license a non-medical home care agency. We build yours to 26 TAC Chapter 558, delivered in 3 business days, fully refundable.
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How home care licensing works in Texas
In Texas, a non-medical (private-pay personal-care) agency is licensed by HHSC as a Home and Community Support Services Agency (HCSSA) holding the “Personal Assistance Services” (PAS) category, under 26 Texas Administrative Code Chapter 558. There is no separate non-medical home care license. PAS is one of three HCSSA categories (the others are home health and hospice). HHSC requires every applicant to develop and enforce its own written policies across staffing, client rights, emergency preparedness, infection control, supervision, and service delivery; the state supplies no manual or template, and a surveyor verifies all required policies are in place at the initial on-site survey.
Your written policy & procedure manual sits inside a larger licensing process. Here is the path the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) expects, and where your manual fits.
- 1Form a legal entity and get it in good standing with both the Texas Secretary of State and the Texas Comptroller (required before HHSC will issue a license).
- 2Designate an administrator and an alternate administrator. For a PAS-only agency, both must complete the HCSSA Pre-Survey Computer-Based Training (CBT).
- 3Before designation, a first-time administrator and alternate complete 8 clock hours of HCSSA administrator training (§558.259), with 24 additional clock hours within the first 12 months after designation.
- 4Complete the HCSSA Pre-Survey CBT (this satisfies the pre-survey conference licensure requirement).
- 5Develop the agency’s full written P&P set required by Chapter 558 (staffing, client rights/complaints, emergency preparedness, infection control, supervision, service plans, client records). HHSC requires these but does not provide them.
- 6Submit the application in TULIP (Texas Unified Licensure Information Portal) via Form 2021, upload all required documents, and pay the non-refundable license fee.
- 7Respond within 30 days to any deficiency notice HHSC posts in TULIP; once complete, HHSC issues or denies the license within about 45 days.
- 8Become operational: admit and begin serving at least one client under the PAS category.
- 9File Form 2020 (Notification of Readiness for Initial Survey) and obtain the initial on-site survey no later than 6 months after the license effective date (§558.521).
- 10Pass the initial on-site survey, at which the surveyor reviews the client list and verifies all written policies required by Chapter 558 are adopted and enforced.
Timeline: After a complete application, HHSC issues or denies the license within about 45 days (with a 30-day window to cure deficiencies in TULIP). You then become operational and request the initial on-site survey within 6 months of the license effective date. Reaching a fully surveyed PAS agency commonly takes several months, depending on entity setup, the 8-hour administrator training and CBT, and admitting your first client.
The policies Texas requires in your manual
These are the specific written policies the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) reviews, each tied to the rule that requires it. Your manual is organized to cover every one in Texas-specific language, not a generic national template.
Staffing: orientation, job-specific training and competency, written job descriptions, criminal-history and registry checks for unlicensed personnel, annual evaluations, disciplinary procedures, and a signed staff statement of compliance
26 TAC §558.245
Client conduct/responsibilities and client rights: the written grievance mechanism a client can use without reprisal, with notice that complaints may go to HHSC Complaint and Incident Intake or the administrator
26 TAC §558.282
Emergency preparedness and response: disaster coordinator + alternate, continuity-of-operations plan, client triage/evacuation, staff roles and training, and annual drills
26 TAC §558.256
Infection control: written policies for standard precautions, surveillance of clients with infections, and safe disposal of medical waste
26 TAC §558.285
Supervision of personnel: PAS agencies must adopt a written supervision policy with client/family input on frequency
26 TAC §558.404(g)
Individualized service plan / scope of PAS: types, frequency, and duration of services for each client
26 TAC §558.404 (incl. (f))
RN delegation for health-related tasks performed by unlicensed personnel, consistent with Texas Board of Nursing rules
26 TAC §558.404(d) (22 TAC Ch. 225)
Abuse, neglect, and exploitation reporting: immediate (within 24 hours) reporting to DFPS (1-800-252-5400) and HHSC Complaint and Incident Intake (1-800-458-9858)
26 TAC §558.282; HSC Ch. 260A
Client records: content, retention, confidentiality, and release of client information
26 TAC §558.301
Informational summary of what Texas regulations require, not legal advice. Citations are provided so you can verify each against the source; confirm current requirements with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC).
See what you actually get
A finished, formatted manual organized to the rule, not a checklist or a generic template. A page from your Texas manual:
Contents: required policies
26 TAC §558.245 Staffing: orientation, job-specific training and competency, written job descriptions, criminal-history and registry checks for unlicensed personnel, annual evaluations, disciplinary procedures, and a signed staff statement of compliance
26 TAC §558.282 Client conduct/responsibilities and client rights: the written grievance mechanism a client can use without reprisal, with notice that complaints may go to HHSC Complaint and Incident Intake or the administrator
26 TAC §558.256 Emergency preparedness and response: disaster coordinator + alternate, continuity-of-operations plan, client triage/evacuation, staff roles and training, and annual drills
26 TAC §558.285 Infection control: written policies for standard precautions, surveillance of clients with infections, and safe disposal of medical waste
Key Texas facts to know before you apply
It’s an HCSSA / PAS license, not a “home care license”
Texas issues no separate non-medical home care license. Personal-care agencies hold an HCSSA license in the Personal Assistance Services (PAS) category under 26 TAC Chapter 558 (the rules moved from the old 40 TAC Chapter 97).
Initial fee $2,625 (3-year term)
The initial HCSSA license fee for a parent agency is $2,625 for a three-year term and is non-refundable; an alternate delivery site adds $1,500. Verify current fees with HHSC before relying on them.
Administrator AND alternate must pre-train
For a PAS-only agency, both the administrator and alternate complete the HCSSA Pre-Survey CBT. First-timers complete 8 clock hours of administrator training before designation (§558.259) and 24 more within the first 12 months.
Operate first, then survey, within 6 months
The license is issued before the on-site survey. You must admit at least one client, file Form 2020 (Notification of Readiness), and obtain the initial survey no later than 6 months after the license effective date (§558.521).
Application runs through TULIP
Applications are submitted in the Texas Unified Licensure Information Portal (TULIP) via Form 2021; the applicant must be in good standing with both the Secretary of State and the Comptroller.
Your policies are required, but the state supplies none
HHSC mandates a full written P&P set across §558.245, §558.256, §558.282, §558.285, and §558.404, and the surveyor checks that all required policies exist and are enforced, but HHSC provides no manual or template.
A Texas manual, not a national template
Free templates and national sample manuals miss the Texas-specific language and citations reviewers look for. Every manual we build is organized to 26 TAC Chapter 558 and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) application, and delivered as editable Word + PDF you can brand with your agency name.
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A fraction of the start-up consultant’s price.
Start-up consultants charge $1,000–$4,000 to assemble these documents by hand, and instant template shops are instant because they sell everyone the same generic document. Every manual is made to order: built from your agency details, organized to your state's rules, and delivered within 3 business days, with a full refund anytime before delivery. Founding pricing is limited to the first 25 agencies; after that the State P&P Manual is $199.
Delivered within 3 business days, with a full refund anytime before delivery. This is a self-prepared operational document you adopt for your own agency, not legal advice, and not a guarantee of license approval.
Texas home care licensing FAQ
Sources
- www.hhs.texas.gov/providers/long-term-care-providers/home-community-support-services-agencies-hcssa/how-become-a-licensed-hcssa-provider
- www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/texas/26-Tex-Admin-Code-SS-558-2
- www.hhs.texas.gov/providers/long-term-care-providers/home-community-support-services-agencies-hcssa/hcssa-training
Texas requirements last reviewed 2026-06-30. Regulations change, so verify current requirements with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) before relying on them.
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