YES Waiver

The Youth Empowerment Services Waiver is a 1915(c) Medicaid program that helps children and youth with serious mental, emotional and behavioral difficulties. The YES Waiver provides intensive services delivered within a strengths-based team planning process called Wraparound. Wraparound builds on family and community support and utilizes YES services to help build your family’s natural support network and connection with your community. YES services are family-centered, coordinated and effective at preventing out-of-home placement and promoting lifelong independence and self-defined success.

The program aims to:

Reduce the amount of time children are out of their home and community because of a mental health need.
Expand available mental health services and supports.
Improve the lives of children and youth.

A Wraparound facilitator will meet with youth and their family weekly to work on creating a Wraparound Plan. The Wraparound Plan is also developed with help from your Child and Family Team, which meets once a month. The team includes you, your child and people who are important in your child’s life. This may be professionals, family, friends, coaches or teachers who want to help your child meet their goals. Together, the team develops a plan of care to meet the specific needs and goals of your child and family using YES services, community resources and family strengths. Although Amarillo serves as our primary clinic, we also have regional offices located in Dumas (Moore County,) Borger (Hutchinson County,) Pampa (Gray County,) Perryton (Hemphill County,) Hereford (Deaf Smith County,) & Clarendon (Donley County.)

YES services include:

Specialized therapies
Community living supports
Family supports
Supported employment and job training skills
Respite
Adaptive aids and supports
Transition services
Minor home modifications to support youth’s ability to live at home

Who is eligible for YES Waiver services?
To participate in the YES waiver, your child must:

Be 3 through 18 year’s old
Have serious mental, emotional and behavioral difficulties
Have a qualifying mental health diagnosis
Be at risk of being placed outside of their home due to their mental health needs
Meet criteria to be in psychiatric hospital
Be eligible for Medicaid- parent’s income does not apply
Currently live in a home setting with a legal guardian or on their own if they are legally emancipated

How do I get YES Waiver services?

Individuals must contact their local mental health authority to be added to the YES Waiver inquiry list. Only a parent, guardian or managing conservator can request a youth be added to the inquiry list and assessed for the YES Waiver, unless the youth is legally emancipated.

For more information, contact:
MH Children’s Services
1500 S. Taylor
Amarillo, TX 79101
(806) 354-2191 or toll free 1-844-207-7630

Or call our Crisis Line at 806-359-6699 (toll free 1-800-692-4039)

<!-The Youth Empowerment Services (YES) Waiver has requested an amendment to our existing 1915(c) Waiver. To meet the public notice requirement, YES services is posting the amendment where it is accessible to community stakeholders, including current waiver participants.

The amendment is posted, as follows: https://hhs.texas.gov/services/mental-health-substance-use/childrens-mental-health/yes-waiver

The amendment is titled YES Amendment 9 DRAFT. A paper copy of the amendment available upon request.

The YES (Youth Empowerment Services) Waiver is a Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Waiver that allows for more flexibility in the funding of intensive community-based services to assist children and adolescents with severe emotional disturbances to live in the community with their families. TPC staff work with families to provide supports for youth, such as adaptive aids, minor home modifications, family support, specialized therapies, respite and transitional support.

To learn more, call 844.207.7630 Toll Free
https://hhs.texas.gov/services/mental-health-substance-use/childrens-mental-health/yes-waiver–>