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The Texas Health and Human Services Commission has proposed eliminating all state funding for the Children’s Autism Program in its 2028-29 budget request. The program subsidizes ABA therapy for eligible children, including families who struggle to find providers through insurance or Medicaid; the Texas Legislature has not yet decided whether to approve the proposal.
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission has proposed eliminating all funding for the Children’s Autism Program in its budget request for the 2028-29 biennium, a move that could end subsidized therapy for children whose families cannot readily obtain or afford services elsewhere. The proposal is not final: the Texas Legislature must decide whether to adopt it, and HHSC says enrolled children could continue receiving services through August 2027 if lawmakers approve the cut.
CAP contracts with 16 providers across Texas to offer focused applied behavior analysis, or ABA, therapy at a reduced cost based on family income and insurance coverage. Eligible children may receive up to 720 hours over their lifetime. The program began in 2008 and is funded by the state rather than federal matching dollars.
The state spent $13.7 million over the last two years, according to the report. In fiscal year 2026, the program funded treatment for 583 children, while contractors said at least 1,000 more children were on waiting lists statewide. This year, Texas expanded eligibility to people up to age 21 and removed a cap on annual hours, making the proposed elimination particularly consequential for families seeking services.
HHSC’s budget request acknowledges that demand for autism therapy exceeds the supply of qualified providers, especially in rural areas. In response to questions about the proposed cut, agency officials pointed to a summary of its required budget reductions, which says HHSC focused on areas with the lowest direct impact on clients while seeking to minimize effects on federal funding. The materials provided do not explain in detail why CAP was selected for elimination.
Families Could Lose a Therapy Pathway
The proposal could affect families who cannot get ABA therapy through private insurance or Medicaid, as well as families unable to pay for services themselves. Advocates say CAP serves as a route to treatment for people who fall between coverage rules and provider availability. That matters in a state where contractors report waiting lists and HHSC itself says qualified providers are scarce in some areas.
Medicaid coverage does not necessarily mean a family can find a provider. The source report says Medicaid began covering ABA therapy for people 20 and younger in 2022, but low reimbursement rates can make providers reluctant to accept Medicaid clients. Coverage also does not apply to every family or plan described by advocates, including people without insurance and some with self-funded insurance. If CAP funding ends, those families may have fewer practical options; the size of that impact has not been established.
Advocates argue that delayed or unavailable services could carry costs for families and the state later. That is their assessment, not a quantified finding in the budget proposal. What is confirmed is that the state has proposed removing a program that funded care for hundreds of children while providers reported many more waiting.
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How the State Program Fits
CAP was established in 2008 to subsidize focused ABA therapy for autistic children. The University of Houston-Clear Lake’s Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities is among the providers offering services through the program. Families’ costs depend on income and insurance coverage, and some families described in the report paid nothing for treatment.
In July 2026, Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows directed state agencies, appellate courts and universities to reduce spending by 3% in the next biennium. HHSC’s proposal comes amid that wider budget-cutting effort. The report notes that CAP is entirely state-funded, while many other Texas public programs use federal matching funds; a policy specialist suggested that funding structure may have made CAP appear easier to cut. That explanation is an interpretation, not a stated agency rationale.
Meanwhile, the expansion of Medicaid coverage for ABA therapy in 2022 did not remove all barriers to access, according to disability advocates. The proposed budget also recognizes provider shortages. These details help explain why the existence of insurance benefits does not by itself resolve the access problem CAP was designed to address.
“If the doors just completely close to access that at all, you just feel like it’s all caving in on you, like ‘how am I going to get some help?'”
— Elizabeth Solis, a parent whose children receive CAP-funded services
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Legislators Have Yet to Decide
The proposal is a budget request, not an enacted cut. The source report does not establish whether lawmakers will approve, revise or reject it, or whether another funding arrangement could replace CAP. It also does not give a complete count of how many children would lose access if the program ends, or how many could obtain comparable therapy through insurance or other services.
HHSC has not provided, in the material reported, a detailed explanation for selecting CAP for elimination beyond pointing to its broader budget-reduction approach. The state says services would continue through the end of August 2027 if the Legislature agrees to eliminate the program. The exact effect on individual families and provider operations remains dependent on the final budget and implementation details.
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Budget Deliberations Will Determine CAP
The next decisive step is the Legislature’s consideration of the state’s 2028-29 biennium budget. Lawmakers can approve the proposed elimination, change the amount allocated to CAP or choose another approach during budget negotiations. Until that process is complete, the program’s future remains unsettled.
If lawmakers approve the cut, HHSC says children currently served would continue receiving services through August 2027. Families and providers will need the final budget and agency guidance to understand any transition in eligibility or service access. The report does not specify when legislators are expected to make a final decision.
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Key Questions
Has Texas ended the Children’s Autism Program?
No. HHSC has proposed eliminating its funding, but the Legislature has not yet made a final decision on the 2028-29 budget.
What services does the program provide?
CAP contracts with providers for reduced-cost, focused applied behavior analysis therapy. Eligible children may receive up to 720 hours over their lifetime, with family costs based on income and insurance coverage.
Why might Medicaid not replace the program?
Advocates say coverage does not guarantee access: some families or insurance plans may not qualify, and provider shortages and low Medicaid reimbursement rates can make it difficult to find a participating provider.
When would services stop if lawmakers approve the proposal?
HHSC says children would continue receiving services through the end of August 2027 if lawmakers agree to eliminate the program. Details beyond that date have not been established in the reported material.
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