Written by a parent, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice.

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Texas program

Short breaks for a family caregiver (Texas Lifespan Respite)

A Texas programme that pays for short breaks for family caregivers, reached through the local Aging and Disability Resource Center.

What it is

A Texas programme that pays for short breaks for family caregivers, reached through the local Aging and Disability Resource Center.

Months of hands-on care at home wear a parent down, and the oncology team cannot fix that. Texas has a small programme for exactly this, and the first step is a phone call, not a form.

Eligibility rules
  • Family caregivers of a person with a lasting health condition or disability who needs help at home; the center states the current test and whether any age or income rule applies.
What you get
  • Short-term respite in your home or elsewhere, arranged locally.
  • A trained professional's account of the long-term care services available in your community.
What the help covers
  • Hours, value and provider availability differ by region; the center explains what it can fund where you live.
If you decide to apply
  1. Call the Texas HHS help line, 855-937-2372, or find your Aging and Disability Resource Center in the HHS directory.
  2. Say you are a family caregiver for a child in treatment and ask about Lifespan Respite and any other respite you should try first.
  3. Ask what the center can arrange, how many hours, and how soon.

Texas HHS help line 855-937-2372, or your Aging and Disability Resource Center from the HHS directory · Official page ↗

After the call
  • The center arranges the respite or points you to the programme that should pay first; ask for the name of the person handling it.
Good to know

The programme generally fills gaps when another respite programme is unavailable or used up, so expect the center to check those first.

Other details
  • CSHCN family support can also fund respite for an enrolled child; that has its own card on this page.
Official sources
Ask your social worker

“I am doing most of the care at home and need a break. Could the resource center's respite programme help, and is there another respite route we should ask first?”

Why I’m asking: I need a few hours of rest without leaving my child with someone unprepared.

More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules

Who does what

The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.

You

One call to the center to ask what respite it can arrange and which programme should pay first.

Your social worker

The hospital social worker can say whether CSHCN family support or a Medicaid programme already covers respite for your child.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
The local Aging and Disability Resource Center.
Ask the agency
“I am caring for a child in cancer treatment at home and need a break. What respite can the center arrange, and is there a programme I should ask first?”

How to apply

First step: Call the HHS help line 855-937-2372, or your local Aging and Disability Resource Center from the HHS directory, and ask about Lifespan Respite.

  1. Call 855-937-2372 or find your Aging and Disability Resource Center in the HHS directory.
  2. Ask about Lifespan Respite and any other respite programme you should try first.
  3. Ask what the center can arrange, how many hours, and how soon.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Call the Texas HHS help line, 855-937-2372, or find your Aging and Disability Resource Center in the HHS directory; say you are a family caregiver for a child in treatment and ask about Lifespan Respite.

What to gather

  • Your county
  • A short account of the care you do at home and any respite you already get

How long: Not published; ask the center how soon it can arrange a break.

What a yes looks like

The center names a provider, the hours it can fund and a start date.

What a no looks like, and the next move

Ask which programme the center thinks should pay first, and ask the hospital social worker about CSHCN family support.

Watch out

  • It generally fills gaps when another respite programme is unavailable or used up, so the center checks those first.
  • Hours, value and provider capacity differ by region and are not published.

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 25, 2026.

What it is worth

Short-term respite for a family caregiver, arranged through the local Aging and Disability Resource Center.

Covers: Short-term respite, in the home or out of it, arranged through the local center · A trained professional's account of the long-term care services available in your community

What it costs the family: None published; ask the center.

The eligibility facts, as published

Who
a family caregiver of a person with a lasting health condition or disability who needs help at home; the resource center states the current test
Age income
the resource center states whether any age or income test applies
Order
generally a gap-filler when another respite programme is unavailable or used up

Decisions this site cannot make: The resource center's own test for the caregiver and the person cared for, and whether another respite programme should pay first

Expect friction on: Hours, value and provider capacity differ by region and are not published statewide

The trap: Expecting a fixed number of hours. The programme generally fills gaps when another respite programme is unavailable or used up, and what it can fund differs by region.

Where I read this

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