Navigators: Partners in Service

Eligibility Navigators

Assistance programs should operate smoothly and provide reliable service to the Texans they are intended to benefit. Successful implementation of programs such as Medicaid and SNAP depends on an effective enrollment system. Through the new Navigator program established in HB 2610, local faith and community-based organizations will be able to ensure that Texas' enrollment system works optimally.

HB 2610 (Guillen/Deuell) directs the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to establish a “community-based navigator program” to train and certify faith and community-based organizations to assist individuals applying online for public benefits like SNAP and Medicaid through HHSC’s new public web portal, which will be available statewide in early 2012.

Faith and community-based organizations (FCBOs) like HB 2610 because it will help them to serve their communities more effectively, and at the same time provide needed protections and clarity for local groups that want to provide application assistance.

HHSC says HB 2610 will improve efficiency and maximize the effectiveness of TIERS. Incomplete and inaccurate applications for assistance slow the approval process for eligibility workers and prevent eligible Texans from receiving benefits timely. By ensuring that applications submitted online are complete and accurate, volunteers will make the process more effective for the state and for applicants.

In the past, many Texans have not received assistance even though they were eligible, in part because of complex and inefficient enrollment processes. For example, about 63 percent of eligible Texans participate in the SNAP (Food Stamps) program and about 75 percent of eligible Texas children participate in Medicaid and CHIP, in both cases participation rates below the national average.

HHSC has made great strides in improving its enrollment and eligibility processes, but the most revolutionary change will be when the agency rolls out its enhanced web-based application, which will move Texas from its antiquated, paper-based system to a modern, online application that is accessible from anywhere at any time. This system will increase productivity for state employees. Even more important, it will improve services for Texans who need help.

One of the most exciting aspects of the new web-based application system will be the new opportunity it provides for local faith and community-based organizations to assist those they serve. While local volunteers will never take the place of state employees, their participation will provide valuable assistance both to their clients and the smooth and efficient operation of state programs.

Local volunteers will not be able to determine eligibility for individuals, but they can ensure that applications for assistance are completed correctly, that questions are answered quickly and correctly, and that applicants understand paperwork and other requirements for enrollment.

Promotoras and Community Health Workers

HB 2610 also establishes a new training and certification program for promotoras and other community health workers, and directs the Texas Department of State Health Services to conduct a study to document the benefits of community-based health outreach workers.

Here's How They Voted On Final Passage of HB 2610:

HOUSE

AYES - 64
Allen(D); Alonzo(D); Alvarado(D); Berman(R); Burnam(D); Chisum(R); Crownover(R); Davis, John(R); Deshotel(D); Dukes(D); Dutton(D); Eissler(R); Giddings(D); Gonzales, Larry(R); Gonzales, Veronica(D); Gonzalez, Naomi(D); Gooden(R); Guillen(D); Gutierrez(D); Hardcastle(R); Hartnett(R); Hochberg(D); Howard, Donna(D); Hughes(R); Hunter(R); Keffer(R); King, Tracy(D); Kleinschmidt(R); Kolkhorst(R); Kuempel(R); Larson(R); Lozano(D); Lucio III(D); Lyne(R); Mallory Caraway(D); Margo(R); Marquez(D); Martinez(D); McClendon(D); Menendez(D); Morrison(R); Munoz(D); Murphy(R); Naishtat(D); Nash(R); Oliveira(D); Pena(R); Pickett(D); Pitts(R); Price(R); Quintanilla(D); Raymond(D); Reynolds(D); Scott(R); Sheffield(R); Shelton(R); Simpson(R); Smith, Wayne(R); Smithee(R); Strama(D); Taylor, Larry(R); Torres(R); Vo(D); Walle(D)

NAYS - 54
Anderson, Charles(R); Anderson, Rodney(R); Aycock(R); Beck(R); Brown, Fred(R); Button(R); Cain(R); Cook(R); Craddick(R); Creighton(R); Davis, Sarah(R); Driver(R); Elkins(R); Fletcher(R); Frullo(R); Hamilton(R); Harless(R); Harper-Brown(R); Hilderbran(R); Howard, Charlie(R); Isaac(R); Jackson, Jim(R); King, Phil(R); King, Susan(R); Landtroop(R); Laubenberg(R); Lavender(R); Legler(R); Lewis(R); Madden(R); Miller, Doug(R); Miller, Sid(R); Orr(R); Otto(R); Parker(R); Patrick, Diane(R); Paxton(R); Perry(R); Phillips(R); Riddle(R); Ritter(R); Schwertner(R); Sheets(R); Smith, Todd(R); Solomons(R); Taylor, Van(R); Truitt(R); Veasey(D); Weber(R); White(R); Woolley(R); Workman(R); Zedler(R); Zerwas(R)

PRESENT-NOT-VOTING - 2
Bonnen(R); Straus(R)

ABSENT - 30
Aliseda(R); Anchia(D); Bohac(R); Branch(R); Burkett(R); Callegari(R); Carter(R); Castro(D); Christian(R); Coleman(D); Darby(R); Davis, Yvonne(D); Eiland(D); Farias(D); Farrar(D); Flynn(R); Gallego(D); Garza(R); Geren(R); Hancock(R); Hernandez Luna(D); Hopson(R); Huberty(R); Johnson(D); Martinez Fischer(D); Miles(D); Rodriguez(D); Thompson(D); Turner, Sylvester(D); Villarreal(D)

SENATE

Passed unanimously on the Local Calendar.