Skip to content
StepSafe kids
← Funding in the United States

Funding a GPS tracker in Texas

In Texas, the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) runs Medicaid waiver programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Several list adaptive aids among their services. This page explains which programs to ask about, how to get on their interest lists, and what to ask. It is general information, not advice.

Last updated 7 October 2026. Written by StepSafe, which sells a GPS tracker for children who wander, so read the product parts with that in mind.

Read this first

This is general information, not legal or medical advice. We are not benefits advisors and we have no relationship with any program named here. No product of ours is covered, approved or endorsed by any of them, and we cannot tell you whether your child qualifies.

Programs change. Treat this page as a list of questions to ask, confirm everything with the agency before you spend money, and keep your receipts.

Last checked: 7 October 2026. That is the date we last read the official pages linked below.

Programs in Texas to ask about

None of the official pages we read names GPS trackers for children who wander. What they do list are services such as assistive technology, adaptive aids, specialized equipment and personal emergency response systems. Those are the words to use when you ask.

Home and Community-based Services (HCS)

Texas Health and Human Services Commission

HCS is a Medicaid waiver program for Texans with an intellectual disability or a related condition, so they can live in the community.[2] Adaptive aids are among the services people in HCS may get.[1],[2]

Safety devices: May cover safety or assistive technology; ask your coordinator. We did not find an official page that names GPS trackers for wandering.

Texas Home Living (TxHmL)

Texas Health and Human Services Commission

TxHmL is a Medicaid waiver program for people with an intellectual disability or a related condition who live in their own home or their family's home. Its services include adaptive aids.[1],[3]

Safety devices: May cover safety or assistive technology; ask your coordinator. We did not find an official page that names GPS trackers for wandering.

Community Living Assistance and Support Services (CLASS)

Texas Health and Human Services Commission

CLASS serves people with related conditions: a disability other than an intellectual disability that began before age 22 and affects daily functioning.[4]

The CLASS provider manual publishes its list of adaptive aids. One group, "safety devices", includes an emergency response service described as backup systems including "personal emergency response systems and other mobile communication devices". GPS appears on the list too, but only as a mobility aid for people with a diagnosed visual impairment. Each item needs an assessment by an appropriate licensed professional.[5]

Safety devices: May cover safety or assistive technology; ask your coordinator. Whether a GPS tracker for wandering fits the published list is the program's decision, not ours.

Texas Technology Access Program (TTAP)

Texas's Assistive Technology Act program, at the University of Texas

TTAP provides assistive technology device loans, demonstration centers, recycle and reuse programs, and financing.[7] We have not confirmed whether it lends GPS trackers.

Safety devices: Lends and demonstrates assistive technology; ask whether a locating device is available to try.

Who qualifies, in general terms

Each Texas IDD service has its own rules, but most require limited income and assets, a need for services, and US citizenship or qualified legal alien status with Texas residence.[1]

Your local intellectual and developmental disability authority (LIDDA) decides whether you can get services. A diagnosis of intellectual developmental disorder, autism spectrum disorder, or a related condition is one of the routes in.[1]

For HCS and TxHmL, HHSC lists an IQ of 69 or below, or an approved related condition with an IQ of 75 or below, deficits in adaptive behavior, Medicaid eligibility, and not being enrolled in another Medicaid waiver.[2],[3]

For CLASS, the person must have a related condition that began before age 22.[4]

Only the agency can decide whether your child is eligible. These are the general rules as published, not a test you can apply yourself.

How to apply, step by step

  1. For HCS or TxHmL, contact the LIDDA that serves your county and ask to be placed on the interest list.[2],[3] Use the HHSC LIDDA directory to find yours.[6]
  2. For CLASS, call the CLASS interest list line at 877-438-5658.[4]
  3. HHSC says there are more people who want HCS than the state can pay for. An offer depends on individual need, your date on the interest list and available funding, so get on the lists early.[1],[2]
  4. When services start, you help build an individual service plan, reviewed once a year.[1] Ask for adaptive aids to be considered for the wandering risk.
  5. For CLASS adaptive aids, ask who the right licensed professional is to assess the need.[5]
  6. While you wait, ask TTAP whether you can borrow or try a device.[7]

What to ask your case manager or service coordinator

Questions to take to the meeting

  • Can a wearable locating device be requested as an adaptive aid for my child's wandering risk?
  • Which licensed professional needs to assess the need, and what should their assessment say?
  • While we are on the interest list, are there other services that could help now?
  • What documentation do you need from my child's doctor or therapist about the wandering?
  • Do you need quotes, a product description, or a specific vendor?
  • Does the program pay for an ongoing service plan, or only for the device?
  • If it is not approved, can I have the decision in writing, and how do I appeal?

For a sample request letter and a note on how wandering is recorded in a medical file, see what to say when you ask.

Programs change

Waiver services, eligibility rules and application steps are updated regularly. We last read these pages on 7 October 2026. Before you rely on anything here, confirm it with the agency or your coordinator. If you find something out of date, email support@stepsafekids.com and we will fix it.

Other states

Not listed? Read the United States overview for the routes that exist in every state.

What we make

StepSafe makes a clip-on cellular GPS tracker for children who wander. StepSafe ships in early 2027. Nothing on this page means any program will pay for it.

See the shop, or start with our free safety toolkit, which works whatever device you choose.

Sources

  1. HHSC: Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Long-term Care
  2. HHSC: What is HCS? (PDF)
  3. HHSC: What is TxHmL? (PDF)
  4. HHSC: Community Living Assistance and Support Services
  5. HHSC: CLASS Provider Manual, Appendix I, Adaptive Aids
  6. HHSC: Local Intellectual and Developmental Disability Authorities
  7. Texas Technology Access Program

Related guides