Texas's Consumer Managed Personal Attendant Services (CMPAS) program provides attendants to adults with physical disabilities, and its rules can let a spouse or relative be the paid attendant., In Texas CMPAS, the person chooses, trains and supervises their own attendant. To start, call the Texas Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) at 1-855-937-2372 to find the CMPAS provider agency for your area, which decides eligibility.,

In This Guide

Find out in 2 minutes See if you qualify for paid family caregiving
Check my eligibility

Who Qualifies for CMPAS in Texas

CMPAS is a state program run by HHSC, outside Texas Medicaid, that offers personal assistance services to people with physical disabilities who can make their own decisions. The CMPAS eligibility rule (Title 26 Texas Administrative Code, Section 275.25) says the person must:

  • be 18 or older
  • submit a completed practitioner's statement to the provider's assessor of need
  • be assessed as needing help with at least one personal care task and an allowable service for at least five hours a week
  • be able to direct the attendant, or name a relative or friend who will direct the attendant without pay
  • live in an area where CMPAS is available
  • have a service plan of no more than 52 hours a week of CMPAS services
  • not be receiving services in a hospital, nursing facility or other institution the rule lists

CMPAS has a co-payment based on income, which lets a person take part regardless of income.

A person who is receiving Primary Home Care (including Family Care and Community Attendant Services), Adult Foster Care, Residential Care or services under a Section 1915(c) Medicaid waiver is not eligible for CMPAS while receiving them. The same CMPAS bar applies to regular attendant services through Special Services to Persons with Disabilities or In-Home and Family Support, and to other community services under a plan that costs more than nursing facility care would. If your relative already gets one of these services, CMPAS is an either/or choice, not an add-on. A Texan who is Medicaid eligible and lives in a managed care service area can't receive CMPAS, unless their spouse was already employed as their attendant and they chose to stay in CMPAS when managed care reached their area. If your relative is on Medicaid, our guide to how a Texas home care agency can pay a family attendant covers the Medicaid routes.

Which Family Members Can Be the Paid Attendant

CMPAS can be delivered through consumer directed services (CDS), where the person receiving care, or their legally authorized representative, is the employer and hires the attendant. HHSC's CDS rules bar hiring a spouse, with one exception, CMPAS: HHSC's Form 1734 instructions say that "If the person is enrolled in the Consumer Managed Personal Attendant Services (CMPAS) program, the spouse may be employed."

Your relationship Can you be paid?
Spouse Yes, under CDS
Adult child or other relative Only if no bar below applies
Designated representative, or their spouse No
Guardian or legally authorized representative No
The CDS employer No

HHSC's Form 1726 lists who must not be the paid CDS worker, and relatives it does not name are not excluded by it. For many couples, the sticking point is the designated representative. HHSC's CDS FAQ calls that role voluntary and bars "the designated representative or their spouse" from being hired, with no CMPAS exception. So if your husband or wife can't direct their own care and you step in to direct it, you can't also be the paid CMPAS attendant under CDS.

These rules are HHSC's CDS rules. CMPAS also offers a traditional service option and a block grant option, and HHSC says hiring a family member "will depend on your program and other service requirements." Our guide to hiring a family member through Texas CDS walks through the paperwork.

How CMPAS Pay Works

Under CMPAS's CDS option, a financial management services agency (FMSA) pays employees and files employment taxes. HHSC's CDS FAQ says the employer, with the FMSA's help, sets wages within the allotted budget, at least the current minimum wage. For a family, that means the relative you care for, or their legally authorized representative, becomes your employer.

Typical pay: about $11.65 an hour (estimate based on home care aide wages in Texas, BLS, May 2025), the Texas median wage for home health and personal care aides, not a rate any program pays a family caregiver. CMPAS hours are set by an assessment of the person's needs, up to 52 hours a week, so the paid hours may cover only part of the care you already give.

How to Start Getting CMPAS in Texas

HHSC runs CMPAS through licensed personal assistance services (PAS) agencies, and the agency determines eligibility and how much care is needed.

1
Step 1

Call the ADRC at 1-855-937-2372

and ask which CMPAS provider agency serves your area.

2
Step 2

Get a practitioner's statement

from your relative's doctor and give it to the provider's assessor of need.

3
Step 3

Ask for the CDS option

if you want a family member hired, and name who will be the employer and the attendant.

4
Step 4

Wait for the FMSA's go-ahead

HHSC says, "You cannot hire someone until your FMSA gives you permission."

For questions about eligibility criteria, the HHSC CMPAS page points families to their local HHSC office.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get paid through CMPAS to care for my husband or wife in Texas?

Yes, if your spouse qualifies for Texas CMPAS and uses the CDS option, and you are not also their designated representative. HHSC says CDS employees must pass criminal conviction history and background checks before they are hired. Our guide to getting paid to care for a spouse in Texas compares the other routes.

Does my relative need Medicaid for CMPAS?

No. Texas CMPAS is a non-Medicaid program. For a Medicaid-eligible person in a managed care service area, though, CMPAS is open only if their spouse was already employed as their attendant and they chose to stay in CMPAS when managed care reached their area, so that spouse route can continue but not start new.

Learn More

CaregiverHow to Get Paid as a Family Caregiver in TexasLearn how to get paid as a family caregiver in Texas through Medicaid CDS, CAS, VA programs, and CMPAS. Covers pay rates, eligibility, and step-by-step process. CaregiverHow to Get Paid to Care for Your Spouse in TexasCan you get paid to care for your spouse in Texas? Medicaid's self-directed option won't pay you, but two narrow Texas programs and a VA caregiver stipend can. CaregiverHow to Hire a Family Member Through Texas Consumer Directed ServicesA parent on Texas Medicaid can hire an adult child through CDS unless the child holds a barred role like guardian. Every step, form and fee, in order. CaregiverCan a Texas Home Care Agency Pay You to Care for a Family Member?Yes. In Texas Primary Home Care, CAS and Family Care, a home care agency can hire a relative as the paid attendant. Who it can't hire, spouse rules, pay, hours. CaregiverCaregiver Programs Available to You in TexasFind caregiver programs in Texas including Medicaid paid caregiver options, respite care, support groups, and free resources for family caregivers in 2026.

Find personalized help working out whether CMPAS can pay you as your relative's attendant at brevy.com.

The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.

Still have questions?

Brevy answers from this guide and every other guide here, and can check what you qualify for.

BC

Brevy Care Team

Expert eldercare guidance from Brevy's team of healthcare professionals and researchers.