YES Waiver
What are the goals of the
YES Waiver?
- Reduce out-of-home placements by all youth-serving agencies
- Reduce inpatient psychiatric treatment
- Provide a more complete continuum of community-based services and support for youth with serious emotional disturbance (SED) and their families
- Ensure families have access to parent partners and other flexible non-traditional support services identified in a family-centered planning process
- Prevent entry and recidivism into the foster care system and relinquishment of parental custody
- Improve the clinical and functional outcomes of youth with SED
Who is eligible for YES Waiver services?
- Be between the ages of 3-18 years
- Reside in Midland, Ector, Hudspeth, Brewster, Jeff Davis, Presidio, Pecos and Culberson counties
- Reside in a non-institutional setting with the child or adolescent’s Legally Authorized Representative (LAR); or in the child or adolescent’s own home or apartment, if legally emancipated
- Be eligible for Medicaid, under a Medicaid Eligibility Group included in the approved waiver; Parental income is not counted in financial eligibility
- Choose, or have the LAR choose, the Waiver program services as an alternative to care in an inpatient psychiatric facility
- Meets Department State Health Services (DSHS) clinical criteria (including, but not limited to risk of self-harm, risk of severe disruptive or aggressive behavior, family resources, and risk of school behavior)
- There must be a reasonable expectation that, without Waiver services, the child or adolescent would qualify for inpatient care under the Texas Medicaid inpatient psychiatric admission guidelines
What are YES Waiver Services?
- Adaptive Aids & Supports
- Community Living Supports
- Family Supports
- Minor Home Modifications
- Non-Medical Transportation
- Paraprofessional Services
- Professional Services
- Respite
- Supportive Family-Based Alternatives
- Transitional Services
How do I access YES Waiver services?
Families or the legal authorized representative of an eligible child or youth who are interested in referring their child to the YES Waiver Services Program can contact Permian Basin Community Centers’ YES Waiver Inquiry Message Line at 1-844-823-0002 or call the Mental Health Clinic in your area.
The Youth Empowerment Services (YES) Waiver has approved Amendment Seven Draft Final, which allows The YES program to provide home- and community-based services to children ages 3-18 that are at risk of institutionalization and/or out-of-home placement due to their serious emotional disturbance. For further explanation, the amendment can be found at https://www.dshs.state.tx.us/mhsa/yes/. A paper copy will be available upon request.