If Disability Rights Texas cannot provide its services in your situation, there are other sources for help in Texas. The organizations listed below may be able to help you.

If you are experiencing an emergency, please call 911. If you are experiencing a mental health-related crisis, including thoughts of suicide, please call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline).

If you need to apply for social security disability benefits, please go to the Social Security Administration (SSA) website for instructions. Also check out the SSA’s Disability Starter Kit that provides detailed help on the steps to take.

Access

Public Transportation

The Texas Department of Transportation’s Find Public Transportation webpage allows you to find contact information for transit providers based on county or category. You can also call 888-468-9824 for more information.

Relay Texas

Relay Texas provides telephone access for people with speech or hearing loss who find it challenging or impossible to use a traditional telephone. There are several different types of relay services, each designed to accommodate different users’ needs and capabilities. You can learn more by visiting the Relay Texas website or you can use one of the different relay services by using one of the phone numbers listed below.

• Voice: 800-676-3777
• Speech to Speech: 877-787-1989
• TTY: 800-676-3777
• Voice Carryover: 866-931-9027
• Spanish: 800-676-4290

Family Law

Texas Attorney General Child Support Division

The Office of the Attorney General provides services for parents who wish to obtain or provide support for their children and offers a full range of child support services at no cost. The services are required by federal law and funded by the federal government and the State of Texas. Call 800-252-8014 for information.

Visitation and Custody

The Texas Attorney General has an online directory listing community services available to families to facilitate shared parenting after separation or divorce. The directory includes supervised visitation centers, mediation, co-parenting education, legal services for enforcement, and neutral pickup and drop off centers throughout Texas. Call 866-292-4636 for help by phone.

Financial

The Texas ABLE Program

The Texas ABLE Program was made possible by the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014, which was passed to provide certain people with disabilities a way to save for disability-related expenses without risking the loss of disability benefits. It allows the creation of a qualified ABLE program by a state (or agency or instrumentality thereof) under which an ABLE account may be established for an individual with a disability who is the Designated Beneficiary and owner of that account. To get more information about the Texas ABLE Program, call 844-4TX-ABLE (844-489-2253).

Texas Wages Recovery

The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) administers the Texas Payday Law, which assists employees in the recovery of their unpaid wages. A person can file a wage claim by using the TWC online system or by using a paper form that can be printed and mailed or faxed to the TWC located at 101 E 15th St, RM 514, Austin, TX 78778. For questions related to wage recovery, contact TWC at 800-832-9243.

Food

SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) Food Benefits

SNAP helps low income Texans purchase food for a short period of time. Call 877-541-7905 for help by phone.

Texas Food Pantries

The Texas Food Pantries website helps a person to find the location of a food pantry in their home area.

Health Care

Medicare Eligibility and Online Application

If you are a person with a disability, you may be eligible for Medicare before age 65. However, even if a person is currently on SSI or SSDI, a person has to take proactive steps to apply for Medicare. To learn more and apply, visit the Medicare portal administered by CMS.

Managed Care Hotline

The Managed Care Hotline, at 800-964-2777, can help you if you are a person who:

• Has lost his/her Medicaid Managed Care Organization (MCO) Information.
• Doesn’t know which MCO they are with.

A person eligible for Medicaid usually has to choose an MCO to handle their account. The MCO pays the bills and has a network of doctors and service providers. An MCO will be chosen for a person by the state if the person doesn’t make an election.

An individual can call the Managed Care Hotline, provide their name, date of birth, and social security number and will be assisted to address services, durable medical equipment, etc. Also, a person moving from one area of the state to another can check to see if they have to change their MCO. For example, the MCO Superior does not cover Brown County although they cover Bell County. Therefore, a person moving from Temple to Brownswood would have to change their MCO. In order to avoid a break in services, the request for a change can be made through their hotline. Note that it can sometimes take up to 45 days to make a change, so getting it scheduled is preferable.

Social Security Administration Website

The official SSA website can assist an individual can gain access to all information about the SSA processes. To contact SSA by phone, call 800-772-1213

(DRTX does not assist with Social Security applications or appeals for denial of SSI or other Social Security benefits. However, if you recently lost your Medicaid coverage because of a change in your Social Security benefits, we may be able to help you appeal the Medicaid termination or inform you of other ways to re-establish your Medicaid eligibility.)

County Indigent Health Care Program

The County Indigent Health Care Program (CIHCP) provides health care services to eligible Texas residents through the counties, hospital districts, and public hospitals in Texas. The website helps a person search for clinics in their home area and provides information on the local county where you must submit applications for the program. To reach CIHCP, call 979-413-7155.

Housing

Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs

The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs provides information about the Section 8 program, as well as, the voucher program specifically for persons with disabilities residing in Nursing Facilities. Reach them by phone at 211.

Public Housing Agencies

This Public Housing Agencies Contact Information list names all of the different Public Housing Agencies in Texas, by City. Individuals seeking a Section 8 voucher or city-run rent voucher program would start here.

Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman

The HHS Office of the Long-term Care Ombudsman are advocates for resident rights. They help protect the quality of care of anybody who lives in a nursing home or assisted living facility. Ombudsmen can be volunteers or paid employees of the agencies that are independent of any long-term care facility. Services are free, confidential, and available statewide. Call 800-252-2412 to speak with an LTC Ombudsman in your area, or check-out the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Directory to find the offices and individuals serving as ombudsmen over the State of Texas.

Legal Aid Websites and Organizations

Texas Law Help

TexasLawHelp.org is a website supported by the Texas Access to Justice Foundation that provides free legal information and court forms for simple civil legal problems.

Legal Aid of Northwest Texas

Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas is a nonprofit organization that provides free civil legal services to low income residents in 114 Texas co unties throughou t North and West Texas, with offices in Abilene, Amarillo, Brownwood, Dallas, Denton, Fort Worth, Lubbock, McKinney, Midland, Odessa, Plainview, San Angelo, Waxahachie, Weatherford, and Wichita Falls. Call 888-529-5277 for help by phone.

Lone Star Legal Aid

Lone Star Legal Aid serves 72 counties including the Houston area and has 13 offices throughout east, southeast, and northeast Texas. Call 713-652-0077 for help by phone.

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) is a non-profit organization that provides free legal services to low-income residents in 68 counties of Southwest Texas including Austin, San Antonio, El Paso, and south Texas. TRLA also represents migrant and seasonal farm workers throughout the state of Texas and six southern states: Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas. In addition, TRLA operates public defender programs in several Southwest Texas counties, representing the poor who are accused of felonies, misdemeanors, and juvenile crimes. Contact them by phone at 888-988-9996.

Texas Legal Services Center

Texas Legal Services Center is a nonprofit organization with the mission of making civil justice accessible to every Texan. It offers the following programs:

• Crime Victims
• Family Helpline
• Family Law Clinics
• Health Law Program
• Kincare Taskforce
• Legal Hotline for Texans
• South Central Pension Rights Project
• Transactional Legal Assistance
• Texas Veterans Legal Assistance Program

For assistance by phone, call 512-477-6000.

Lawyer Referral Information Service

If you do not qualify for legal aid, contact the Lawyer Referral Information Service website or call 800-252-9690. Through this service, a person may have a 30-minute consultation with an attorney for $20. At the end of the consultation, the attorney and individual may discuss possible representation and price structure. Please note that the Lawyer Referral Information Service is not a pro bono or reduced-fee program.

State Bar of Texas Referral Directory

The State Bar of Texas offers an online Referral Directory for Low-Income Texans listing low-cost legal service providers by county.

Southern Disability Law Center

The Southern Disability Law Center (SDLC) is a non-profit dedicated to advancing the rights of individuals with disabilities throughout the southern United States. It represents individuals in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas to challenge systemic barriers that deny individuals with disabilities access to necessary health care and educational services and supports. SDLC is not a part of any state or local government. Reach them by phone at 512-458-5800.

Texas Legal Answers

Texas Legal Answers is a free, online legal advice clinic where volunteer attorneys answer civil legal questions posed by low-income Texans. Launched by the State Bar Legal Access Division and the ABA.

Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas

Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas (VLS) is a non-profit organization that provides civil legal services to low-income people through attorney volunteers in Travis County, Texas. VLS attorneys help people with critical matters, such as helping victims of abuse end violent relationships, connecting people with disabilities with medical and financial benefits, and keeping people out of homelessness by defending against wrongful evictions and foreclosures. For more information call 512-476-5550.

Mental Health

Local Mental Health or Behavioral Health Authority

Community mental health centers, also referred to as Local Mental Health Authorities (LMHAs) Local Behavioral Health Authorities (LBHAs) provide services to a specific geographical area of the state, called the local service area. Use this website to find mental health services in your area or you can call call the referral phone line at 512-447-4141.

Mental Health Texas

Mental Health Texas provides information, resources and direction to Texas residents who may have mental health related needs or who want to support someone who does. Dial 211 to be connected to mental health and substance abuse services in your area.

Utility Assistance

Harris County BakerRipley Program

This Utility Assistance program helps families and individuals in Harris County with the payment of their electricity and gas bills. If you are interested in applying for assistance online, visit BakerRipley’s Utility Assistance Online Application.

Veterans

Texas Veterans Commission

The Texas Veterans Commission acts as the state appointed advocate of Texas veterans as they attempt to secure the benefits rightfully earned in exchange for their service in our nation’s armed forces. Programs include Claims Representation and Counseling services, the Veterans Employment Services, and the Veterans Education Program. The Commission’s phone number is 800-252-8387.

Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans

The Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans is a State Bar of Texas Program to develop and assist pro bono clinics throughout the state for military veterans who otherwise cannot afford or do not have access to the legal services they need. This website also includes a pamphlet entitled “Resources for Veterans Seeking Help.” For more help, call 512-427-1529.