Grocery stores across Texas are preparing for new restrictions set to take effect on April 1 on items purchased through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

The rule, which went into effect on Nov. 1, requires recipients to work at least 20 hours per week or 80 hours per month, and document their hours to continue receiving benefits.

Texas is making it easier for relatives to adopt children within their own families through a major overhaul of kinship adoption rules announced by Governor Greg Abbott.

So far, nine Texas Health and Human Services Commission employees have been fired for improperly accessing Texans’ data.

The death of an 11-year-old at a Greenville residential treatment center is among 16 deaths reported in the Texas foster care system in the last 15 months.

The Greenville-based treatment center has closed after the death of an 11-year-old boy the day before Thanksgiving.

The request comes after an audit found Texas improperly billed the federal government for reimbursements related to Medicaid-eligible students.

For years, Cook’s Children, two other children’s hospitals have administered Medicaid health coverage plans. Canceling their contracts would put jobs and coverage at risk, they say.

The construction begins after lawmakers have allocated $2.5 billion to modernize and increase access to inpatient psychiatric care in Texas.

San Antonio police have arrested a caretaker at a state living facility who they believe attacked one of the residents. They say the victim, who has disabilities, was punched and kicked in her face.

Texas is reviewing the eligibility of people on Medicaid health plans or Healthy Texas Women now that pandemic Medicaid coverage is ending. Here’s what that means, how to renew your health coverage or find other options if you no longer qualify.

Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission on Thursday unveiled the State of Texas’ new ‘Stop Human Trafficking’ specialty license plate.

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission is providing more than $300 million in emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program food benefits for the month of August.

Officials with A New Life for A New Generation announced the closure of its location at 314 North Hackberry on social media on March 7.

A San Antonio nonprofit that provides assistance to pregnant women and young parents had its state funding suspended after an investigation by the KSAT 12 Defenders revealed it used the money on trips, a smoke shop and land later registered to produce industrial hemp.

The expenditures fly in the face of rules outlined by a state program that provides a vast majority of New Life’s funding.

Long list of questionable purchases by state-funded organization called ‘an egregious misuse of tax dollars’ by lawmaker

Texas families with students relying on free or reduced-cost meals are eligible for a $375 payment in food aid. Families have until Sept. 13 to apply for aid from the 2020-21 school year.

Food like rotisserie chickens can be bought with SNAP benefits. SAN ANTONIO – Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced Sunday that the Texas Health and Human Services Commission has received federal approval for SNAP recipients to use their food benefits to purchase hot foods and ready-to-eat meals due to the severe weather in Texas. “As we continue to recover from this winter storm, the state is ensuring that Texans in need have access to hot food to feed their families,” Abbott said in a statement. Foods like rotisserie chickens and deli foods can be used by SNAP recipients. Related: Texas governor arrives in SA with crates of water flown in as part of winter storm relief efforts

KERRVILLE, Texas – Seven residents have died, and more than 100 residents and staff members in all have tested positive for COVID-19 following an outbreak of the virus at a Kerrville nursing home, state and federal records show. Staff at Waterside Nursing and Rehabilitation, located in the 1200 block of Water Street, were mostly silent on Wednesday and referred inquiries from KSAT 12 to the facility’s administrator. Massive fine for SA nursing home housing COVID patients after state investigation uncovers long list of safety violationsThe deadly outbreak was first reported by the Kerrville Daily Times. The facility was also cited for failing to properly fill out the care plans of multiple residents, records show. Waterside Nursing and Rehabilitation released the following statement:

After years of budget cuts in Texas caused nonprofit therapy providers to drop out of the program, U.S. Department of Education officials found Texas to be in “significant noncompliance” with education guidelines on early intervention services. Children's advocates called on state leaders to provide additional funding to Texas' Early Childhood Intervention program, also known as ECI. The program’s funding fell from $166 million in fiscal year 2011 to about $148 million in 2019, federal officials wrote. Children's advocacy groups say Texas is among three states with the lowest share of children receiving early intervention services. Earlier this year, Texas officials proposed additional funding cuts to the early intervention program, but the agency withdrew that proposal.

Records detail deficiencies in San Antonio nursing home’s COVID-19 control practicesPublished: September 3, 2020, 6:26 pmThe Texas Health and Human Services Commission on Thursday released a 460-page report detailing complaints against Southeast Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center, where COVID-19 ran rampant among residents and staff in April.

SAN ANTONIO – The Texas Health and Human Services Commission on Thursday released a 460-page report detailing complaints against Southeast Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center, where COVID-19 ran rampant among residents and staff in April. The partially redacted records were released in response to a records request filed by the KSAT 12 Defenders in July. According to state figures, a total of 17 employees and 77 residents were infected with COVID-19 at the nursing home, the site of San Antonio’s first outbreak of the deadly virus. Four of the staff members, who had pending COVID-19 tests, were still working in the facility. Staff members who tested positive for COVID-19 were supposed to self-isolate at home.

Texans receiving emergency benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will continue to get their benefits through the month of September, according to Gov. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission will provide approximately $188 million in emergency food benefits in response to the coronavirus pandemic. “This emergency SNAP extension will help Texans provide healthy food for their families.”More than 972,000 SNAP households will see the additional amount on their Lone Star Card by September 15, according to state officials. The $188 million in emergency funds is in addition to $1 billion in benefits that have been provided to Texans from April through August, officials said. Texans in need can apply for benefits, including SNAP and Medicaid, at YourTexasBenefits.com.

By June 11, Texas had completed an initial, month-long round of mandatory testing in all Texas nursing facilities. The ability to reopen nursing homes — which have been closed to visitors since mid-March — depends on it, Lutzel said. Last week, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services committed to sending testing devices to nursing homes. But with more than 1,200 nursing homes and 2,000 assisted-living facilities in Texas, 57 devices are “not nearly enough,” Tran said. Warren said nursing homes “are doing everything they know to do to fight a virus we don’t see.”

Cecile Young will run the Texas Health and Human Services Commission in the midst of a pandemic that has hit Texas particularly hard. Texas Health and Human Services CommissionCecile Young has been named the new head of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission as the agency fights an ever-growing number of coronavirus cases in the state. Cecile will provide immediate leadership to help solve the health care challenges facing our state during this pandemic, said Gov. She worked at the Health and Human Services Commission in the early 1990s after it was created by the Legislature, helping launch the fledgling agency, according to her LinkedIn page. Courtney Phillips led the commission for just over a year before leaving to take the top job at Louisianas health agency.

Greg Abbott on Thursday along with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission announced that $2.67 billion in federal funding has been approved for Texas hospitals that provide care for people receiving Medicaid. This federal funding is a crucial source of support for Texas hospitals that provide care for Medicaid patients, said Abbott. The program will try to reduce the Medicaid shortage for hospitals that serve people with Medicaid. Hospitals in Texas are on the front lines of care and prevention at all times, providing critical emergency and intensive care for people, including those with COVID-19, Texas HHSC Executive Commissioner Phil Wilson said. This federal funding is one way we can make sure hospitals have sufficient resources to provide quality care to people receiving Medicaid.

Greg Abbott on Wednesday announced that he will have the Texas National Guard help to disinfect nursing homes to reduce the spread of COVID-19, per a press release. The disinfection teams will work in conjunction with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and will provide a boost to protecting Texans. “The Texas National Guard plays a crucial role in our ongoing response to COVID-19, and I am grateful for their work to address the unique challenges our nursing homes face during this pandemic,” Abbott said. “The Texas National Guard readily accepts this newest mission assignment,” said Major General Tracy Norris. We stand ready to continue to serve both here at home and abroad in the war fight.”The Texas National Guard was already providing personal protective equipment manufacturing support, food bank support, mobile COVID-19 testing, and points of distribution for essential items, the press release said.

AUSTIN – The Texas Health and Human Services Commission and Gov. Greg Abbott have sent a letter asking if Texas Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients can use their benefits at take-out and drive-through restaurants throughout the state, officials announced Wednesday. The letter went out to the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday, according to a news release from Abbott’s office. The request comes as Texas, along with the rest of the country, continues to combat COVID-19. I urge the federal government to quickly approve this waiver, giving Texans another food option during this public health emergency.”Read the letter by clicking or tapping here.