How to Become a Medicaid Waiver Provider in Texas

Texas puts a proper exam in the middle of its process. Every applicant must complete the Provider Applicant Training course online and pass an in-person competency exam with a score of at least 90 percent — a genuine pass mark, not a formality, and one that sets the pace of your application more than any form does. The sequencing matters too: you must enroll in Texas Medicaid before a contract can be issued, so an applicant who leaves enrollment until after the contract paperwork will simply wait. The rest is refreshingly open — applications for HCS can be submitted year-round with no deadline, and can be completed online in the Contract Application and Management for Providers portal or on paper against the Form 5873 checklist. Have the program manager's credentials ready: a resume showing three or more years of relevant experience and three reference letters, alongside your NPI, EIN, legal entity formation documents, and criminal history record receipts.

Enroll in Texas Medicaid, complete Provider Applicant Training and pass the competency exam at 90 percent, then apply through the CAMP portal — or on paper against the Form 5873 checklist — any time of year.

Application system: CAMP — Contract Application and Management for Providers

1. Enroll in Texas Medicaid

   Long-term care applicants must be enrolled in Texas Medicaid before HHSC can issue the waiver contract.

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2. Complete Provider Applicant Training

   The PAT course is completed online and is required by 26 TAC Chapter 52 Rule §52.31. Email capm_operations@hhsc.state.tx.us for access.

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3. Pass the in-person competency exam

   A score of at least 90 percent is required. Plan for study time rather than treating this as an attendance requirement.

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4. Apply through CAMP, or on paper

   Applications can be completed online by creating an account in the Contract Application and Management for Providers portal. Paper applicants follow Form 5873, the contract application packet checklist — with errors marked by a single line, initialed and dated, never correction fluid.

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5. Submit by email, fax, or mail

   IDDWaiverContractEnrollment@hhs.texas.gov, fax 512-206-3916, or by mail or overnight delivery to HHSC Contract Administration and Provider Monitoring in Austin.

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Texas does not publish these in a form we could verify, so we have not guessed at them. Ask directly — and if an answer here would help other providers, tell us and we will add it with its source.

• How long does HHSC currently take from a complete application to an executed contract?

  Ask: HHSC Waiver Program Enrollment, IDDWaiverContractEnrollment@hhs.texas.gov

• Is there a contract application fee, and what does Texas Medicaid charge institutional providers at enrollment?

  Ask: Texas Medicaid provider enrollment

• How often is the in-person competency exam offered, and where?

  Ask: capm_operations@hhsc.state.tx.us

• What staff training, background checks, and service-specific standards apply once the contract is issued?

  Ask: HHSC Waiver Program Enrollment, IDDWaiverContractEnrollment@hhs.texas.gov