Texas Day Activity and Health Services: Texas 2026 Guide
Day Activity and Health Services (DAHS) is Texas Medicaid’s adult day program. It pays for daytime care at licensed adult day care facilities, where participants receive nursing supervision, personal care, meals and activities. It is overseen by Texas Health and Human Services (HHSC), and STAR+PLUS members receive it through their plan.
This page explains who can attend under Day Activity and Health Services in 2026, what a day at a center includes, how to get started, and how it fits with other long-term care Medicaid. For the full statewide rules on income, assets, spouses and the look-back, see our Texas Medicaid guide.
Figures change periodically. Double-check current amounts before relying on them.
What Day Activity and Health Services is
DAHS centers provide care on weekdays, often with transportation. Medicaid pays a daily rate for each authorized day. A nurse at the center monitors health, and staff help with personal care. DAHS is used both by people living with family caregivers who work and by people living alone who need daytime supervision.
Day Activity and Health Services is center-based daytime care: participants attend on a schedule and live at home. Health-model centers add nurses and therapists to the usual supervision, meals and activities. For families, it often makes it possible to keep working, and it gives the caregiver regular respite.
Who qualifies in 2026
To have Medicaid pay for Day Activity and Health Services, a person generally must:
- be eligible for Texas Medicaid (full Medicaid or the CAS income level, depending on the route);
- have a medical diagnosis and a need for help that a practitioner certifies;
- need help with personal care or health monitoring; and
- be able to attend a center.
Eligibility. Texas Medicaid is required, under regular or long-term care rules depending on the funding route.
Depending on the route, DAHS follows the member’s Medicaid group rules or the higher CAS-level income limit tied to $2,982 a month in 2026.
Texas’s 2026 long-term care Medicaid numbers, from our state guide:
| Item | 2026 figure |
|---|---|
| Income limit (applicant) | $2,982 a month (special income limit). Above this, a Qualified Income Trust is needed |
| Asset limit (single applicant) | $2,000 |
| Asset limit (couple, both applying) | $3,000 |
| Home equity limit | $752,000 |
| Spouse at home: resource allowance (CSRA) | Minimum $32,532 / maximum $162,660 |
| Spouse at home: monthly income allowance | $4,066.50 (Texas uses the federal maximum) |
| Personal needs allowance (nursing home) | $75 a month |
| Look-back period | 60 months (5 years) |
Couples. Spousal impoverishment rules generally apply to waiver applicants in Texas, protecting a share of assets and income for the spouse at home. The spousal allowance pages explain how these amounts are figured.
Services Day Activity and Health Services can cover
A typical day can include:
- nursing and health monitoring
- personal care
- noon meal and snacks
- therapeutic and social activities
- transportation, at many centers
Limits. Day Activity and Health Services is daytime care only, and transportation varies by center.
How to apply for Day Activity and Health Services
The usual path is:
- Make sure the person is on Texas Medicaid.
- Find a licensed DAHS center and visit.
- A practitioner certifies medical need, and the plan or HHSC authorizes days.
- Agree on a schedule.
- Attendance begins.
Practical tips. Keep copies of everything you send and note the name of each person you speak with. Assessors only see one visit, so describe what a difficult day looks like and have a regular helper in the room. Cognitive problems and fall risk count toward need. If services are denied, the notice lists the deadline to appeal.
Waiting lists and timing
DAHS is not capped, but some centers may be full.
Availability depends on each center’s openings. Looking at more than one center at once helps.
How it relates to nursing home Medicaid
Day Activity and Health Services helps people stay at home longer, often alongside in-home personal care. It does not replace nursing home care for someone who needs supervision around the clock. If a participant later needs a nursing home, Medicaid continues, though most income then goes toward care.
Planning around Day Activity and Health Services
Most families come to Day Activity and Health Services during a change: a fall, a hospital stay, or a caregiver who can no longer keep up. Planning a little ahead makes each step easier. Start by writing down what help is needed each day, who provides it now, and what would happen if that person were unavailable for a week. It also helps the assessor see real needs rather than a single snapshot.
On the financial side, gather recent bank statements, income letters such as Social Security and pension notices, health insurance cards, and proof of age and residence in Texas. Keep older statements too: if a waiver or nursing home becomes necessary, the five-year look-back applies. A durable power of attorney and health care directive, signed while the person can still make decisions, let a family member handle applications and appeals without court involvement.
Check in on how the arrangement is working every few months; a reassessment can adjust hours or services. Notes on falls, hospital visits and new diagnoses make later reviews easier.
Tips for families
Tour a few centers and watch how staff treat participants. Look at staffing levels, memory care skills and nurse availability. A gradual start, two or three days a week, eases the transition.
Many families find it worthwhile to talk with a Certified Medicaid Planner before applying for Day Activity and Health Services. A planner who knows Texas’s rules can review income and assets, explain which program fits, map the timing against any waiting list, and help with the paperwork. Costs range widely, from about $150 to $600 an hour, about $500 to $6,000 for application help, and about $2,500 to $15,000 or more for full planning.
Related pages
- Texas Medicaid guide
- Texas STAR+PLUS
- Adult day care and Medicaid
- In-home care and Medicaid
- HCBS waivers explained
- Nursing home level of care
Last updated for 2026. General information only, not legal or financial advice. Medicaid Answers is a free educational resource published by Medicaid Answers Foundation.