From HHSC: While every effort has been made to offer an accurate and current listing of meeting agendas and events on this calendar, the information has been compiled from a variety of sources and is subject to change without notice to the user.
Please Note: This is a comprehensive list of upcoming meetings provided by HHSC. Not every meeting fits the parameters for coverage by Texas Insight. Refer to Texas Insight’s “Weekly Insight” newsletters for regular updates on planned coverage.
February 17, 2021
- CANCELLED: Proposed Payment Rates for HCBS – Adult Mental Health Supported Home Living and YES Waiver In-Home Respite
- CANCELLED: Texas Medical Disclosure Panel (TMDP) Agenda
February 18, 2021
- CANCELLED: Health and Human Services Commission Executive Council Agenda
- CANCELLED: Intellectual and Developmental Disability System Redesign Advisory Committee System Adequacy Subcommittee (IDD SRAC SA) Agenda
- CANCELLED: Task Force of Border Health Officials (TFBHO) Agenda
February 19, 2021
- CANCELLED: Governor’s EMS and Trauma Advisory Council (GETAC) Agenda
- CANCELLED: Texas State Child Fatality Review Team Committee (SCFRT) Agenda
- CANCELLED: Sickle Cell Task Force Agenda
February 22, 2021
- This meeting will be webcast: Texas School Health Advisory Committee (THAC) Agenda
February 23, 2021
February 24, 2021
- State Medicaid Managed Care Advisory Committee Network Adequacy Subcommittee (SMMCAC NA) Agenda
- State Medicaid Managed Care Advisory Committee Service and Care Coordination Subcommittee (SMMCAC SCC) Agenda
February 25, 2021
- State Medicaid Managed Care Advisory Committee Complaints, Appeals, and Fair Hearings Subcommittee Agenda
- State Medicaid Managed Care Advisory Committee Clinical Oversight and Administrative Simplification Subcommittee (SMMCAC) Agenda
- This meeting will be webcast: State Medicaid Managed Care Advisory Committee (SMMCAC) Agenda
March 3, 2021
- This meeting will be webcast: Youth Camp Advisory Committee (YC) Agenda
March 4, 2021
Proposed Rules
Formal Comments via the Texas Register
To let the public know about a rulemaking action – such as new, amended or repealed rules – HHS publishes a notice in the Texas Register, a publication of the Texas Secretary of State. Interested parties then can review and comment on the proposed rule. The Secretary of State publishes a new issue of the Texas Register each Friday.
The Administrative Procedure Act (Texas Government Code, Chapter 2001) requires the notice published in the Texas Register to include a brief explanation of the proposed rule and a request for comments from any interested person. The notice also includes instructions for submitting comments regarding the rule to the agency, including the date by which comments must be submitted. Agencies must give interested persons “a reasonable opportunity” to submit comments. The public comment period begins on the day after the notice of a proposed rule is published in the Texas Register and lasts for a minimum of 30 calendar days.
Below is a list of proposed rules that have been published in the Texas Register. The proposed rules that are published in the Texas Register are open for public comment until the end of the comment period.
Draft Rules Informal Comments
Informal opportunities to comment occur before a rule is published in the Texas Register. HHS staff may solicit informal public and stakeholder input by:
- inviting stakeholders to submit comments on potential rule changes during rule development.
- sharing a draft rule with stakeholders for review.
- using existing HHS advisory committees to comment on rules.
| Title | Project No. | Contact | Comment Start Date | Comment End Date |
| Title 25, Chapter 157, Subchapter G, Sections 157.122 and 157.133, concerning Trauma Service Areas and Requirements for Stroke Facility Designation | #20R100 | DSHS EMS-Trauma Systems Section | 2/11/21 | 2/25/21 |
2021 Schedule
As HHSC has received a waiver to Rate Hearing Requirements, there will not be a rate hearing conducted on many of these rates.
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- Gov. Greg Abbott gives update on Texas’ response to mass power failures during winter weather
- Why is Texas one of few states with its own power grid?
- ERCOT talks about when they knew, what they did, and why current standards failed the state this week
- How to help and get help in Texas as the winter storm causes power outages
- Texas House State Affairs agenda for electricity hearing set for Feb 25
- Few options available for clearing Austin-area roads, transportation agencies say
- Texas’ grid operator wants to bring relief by making power outages consistently shorter — but might not be able to Wednesday
- On call for lawmakers, ERCOT has no estimate for full restoration of power
- Texas grid fails to weatherize, repeats mistake feds cited 10 years ago
- Stop dripping your faucets: Texas officials say the state’s water supply is at risk
- Abbott makes ERCOT reform an emergency priority
- No, frozen wind turbines aren’t the main culprit for Texas’ power outages
- Governor Abbott Sends Additional Resources To Local Officials Throughout Texas
- Winter storm forces Texas Legislature to shut down
- “We’re in it alone”: Power outages leave millions of Texans desperate for heat and safety
- Railroad Commission Working To Help Energy Production, Supply During Winter Storm
LTC Provider Resources During an Emergency. Long-term care providers impacted by the current severe weather event should be implementing emergency management plans. LTC providers in need of resources or assistance during an emergency, such as the current severe weather, are reminded that you can:
- Contact your LTCR regional office regarding events that are affecting residents (such as no heat, evacuation, frozen fire sprinkler systems, etc.). They can initiate an emergency request.
- Contact your local emergency management or Regional Advisory Council, who can initiate a STAR request.
- Contact your local power company if you are having power issues. Nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, and inpatient hospices should inform the power company that you are a LTC provider, as those providers are prioritized for service restoration per the Public Utility Commission rules.
- Contact your Texas Department of Emergency Management District Coordinator if you are having challenges getting generator fuel.
If you need guidance or assistance in relocating residents, work with your LTCR Regional Director. All requests to exceed licensed capacity must be approved by the Director of Survey Operations. If your facility is projected to exceed its licensed capacity because it is accepting residents who have been evacuated from another facility, email Renee Blanch-Haley and include State Capacity Increase Request in the subject line.
Please refer to Provider Letter 2018-19 (PDF) as applicable and to your program’s rules for additional important information regarding emergency preparedness. If you have any questions, contact your LTCR regional office, email LTCR Policy Rules and Training or call 512-438-3161.
Health officials alert public to carbon monoxide dangers. With power outages from this week’s winter storm affecting large portions of Texas, the Texas Department of State Health Services is urging people to use extreme caution with electric generators and heat sources that produce carbon monoxide.
Generators should only be placed outdoors at least 10 feet away from buildings. They should never be operated indoors or in garages. Likewise, cars should not be run inside a garage, even with the door open, because carbon monoxide can build up, leading to death. Outdoor grills, camp stoves and other appliances meant for open-air use should not be used to heat a home because they, too, create carbon monoxide.
Carbon monoxide is an odorless and invisible gas produced by burning gasoline, propane, wood, charcoal and other fuel. If it builds up in a confined space and people breathe it in, it can replace the oxygen in their blood leading to carbon monoxide poisoning and death.
Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include dizziness, drowsiness, severe headache, weakness, nausea and confusion. Anyone with one or more of these symptoms should go – or be moved to – a well-ventilated area outdoors and receive immediate medical attention.
People without power can take steps to stay warm by:
- Closing blinds or curtains to trap heat inside.
- Closing off rooms to avoid wasting heat.
- Stuffing towels or rags in cracks under doors.
- Eating and drinking because food can warm the body.
- Wear multiple layers of warm, loose-fitting clothing.
Those who need a warm place to go due to the winter weather affecting Texas can locate approximately 200 warming centers across the state at tdem.texas.gov/warming-centers.