Outdated technology and stricter requirements for Medicaid and SNAP food assistance have made it harder for Texas to give timely approval to applications, state officials and advocates say.

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission has long struggled to process Medicaid applications in a timely manner — within 30 to 45 days, under the federal definition, according to a Legislative Budget Board report released this month. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services scrutinized Texas’ timeliness issues and the feds put the state on a corrective action plan to more quickly process Medicaid and the food assistance benefits, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). By the end of 2025, the state was improving its timeliness.

That was, until the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed July 2025, started requiring Medicaid recipients to reapply every six months instead of annually, and prove they are working, trying to work or are volunteering in an effort to address fraud. Even though data from the Texas HHSC has not shown fraud is widespread in Texas, the state’s backlog is climbing back up.

In July, 65% of Medicaid applications were processed in a timely manner compared to 81% a year ago, according to most recent data from Texas Health and Human Services Commission, which administers Medicaid on the state level. The federal government wants 95% of them processed in a timely manner. In August, 211,000 applications were still waiting to be processed by the state.

  • schipelblorp@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    2·
    13 days ago

    Even though data from the Texas HHSC has not shown fraud is widespread in Texas, the state’s backlog is climbing back up.

    Ever try to volunteer? It’s almost as hard as getting a job.

    People need health insurance to live and legitimate volunteer positions are going to be absolutely swamped.

    There will definitely be fraud.