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

Childhood Cancer Lantern
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Texas program

Cancer travel help in eight South Texas counties (TICP)

TICP pays approved cancer-travel costs in eight South Texas counties when income fits and other public rides are unavailable.

What it is

TICP pays approved cancer-travel costs in eight South Texas counties when income fits and other public rides are unavailable.

Travel to a cancer center can bring costs beyond the appointment itself. TICP can arrange rides or approved mileage, meals and lodging for eligible residents of eight counties. The program reviews the destination and each trip before travel.

Who this can help
  • The eight counties are Webb, Zapata, Starr, Jim Hogg, Hidalgo, Cameron, Willacy and Nueces. Household income must be at or below 100% of poverty.
  • The patient cannot be eligible for Medicaid or CSHCN transportation. There is no minimum age.
What you get
  • Approved rides, transit tickets or mileage at no family cost.
  • Meals and lodging for the child and an attendant when treatment is out of county.
What the rules cover
  • Travel options include demand-response rides, public-transit tickets and mileage reimbursement. Out-of-county treatment can include meals and lodging for the child and an attendant.
  • Up to four diagnostic visits can be covered before acceptance documentation. The Medical Transportation Program must approve each trip.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask the Medical Transportation Program at 877-633-8747 about Transportation for Indigent Cancer Patients.
  2. Have your appointment, cancer-center details, income and residence documents ready.
  3. Ask the program to confirm the destination, travel method and covered expenses before the trip.

Medical Transportation Program: 877-633-8747; ask for TICP · Official page ↗

What happens next
  • A trip approval names the destination, travel method and covered expenses. Out-of-county trips need additional lead time.
  • If the program declines, its reason can identify whether the county, income, destination or another travel benefit caused the decision.
Good to know

TICP pays travel costs, not cancer treatment. It does not reimburse travel that was not approved.

Other details
  • A cancer center’s Children’s Oncology Group membership does not itself make it an approved TICP center. The program checks the destination.
Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Could TICP help with travel to our cancer center, and can you help us confirm the county, income and trip rules before we make arrangements?”

Why I’m asking: I want to know which travel costs can be covered before we pay for the trip.

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

Call, give the cancer center and appointment, and send the income and residency documents the program asks for.

Your social worker

Calls the program with you and checks the county, income and center rules before promising travel.

The care team

Confirms the diagnosis, the appointment and the need for a parent to travel.

Who decides
The Medical Transportation Program decides admission and each trip
Ask your social worker
“Can you call TICP with us at 877-633-8747 and confirm this appointment and our county can be authorized?”

How to apply

First step: Call the Medical Transportation Program at 877-633-8747 and say “Transportation for Indigent Cancer Patients”.

  1. Call 877-633-8747 and say “Transportation for Indigent Cancer Patients”.
  2. Get the trip approved before you travel.

Where it starts: 877-633-8747, ask for TICP

What to gather

  • Appointment and center details
  • Income and residency documents
  • Whether a parent must travel

How long: Advance notice is required. Out-of-county trips need more lead time.

What a yes looks like

A trip authorization naming the destination, travel mode and covered expenses.

What a no looks like, and the next move

Ask for the reason and whether Medicaid or CSHCN transportation is the right option instead.

Watch out

  • Not a treatment fund. Nothing is paid for care.
  • Get the trip approved before you travel. Unapproved travel is not reimbursed.
  • A center's Children's Oncology Group membership does not make it an approved TICP center. Ask.

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 8, 2026.

What it is worth

Prior-approved rides, transit, mileage, meals and lodging for the child and a parent to the cancer center, in eight South Texas counties.

Covers: Demand-response rides · Transit tickets · Mileage reimbursement · Meals and lodging for the child and an attendant when treatment is out of county

What it costs the family: None.

The eligibility facts, as published

Counties
Webb; Zapata; Starr; Jim Hogg; Hidalgo; Cameron; Willacy; Nueces
Income percent fpl max
100
Not eligible for
Medicaid or CSHCN transportation
Age floor
none

The trap: Not a treatment fund. Nothing is paid for care.

Where I read this

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