SECTION 360.511. Voucher Recipient Eligibility

(a) To be eligible for assistance from STAP, a person must:

(1) be a resident of Texas;

(2) be a person with a disability that impairs the person's ability to effectively access the telephone network;

(3) be at least 5 years of age;

(4) be in a situation where no other person in the household with the same type of disability needing comparable equipment has received a voucher for equipment unless persons in the household are financially independent of each other;

(5) not have received a voucher from ODHHS for any specialized telecommunications equipment or services before the fifth anniversary of the date the person exchanged the previously issued voucher under STAP, unless before that anniversary, the person demonstrates that the person is no longer able to use the previous equipment or service received and has developed a need for a different type of specialized telecommunications equipment or service under STAP because of a change in the person's disability status;

(6) be able to benefit from the specialized telecommunications equipment or service provided by the voucher in accessing the telephone network without assistance of another person; and

(7) be certified as a person with a disability that impairs the person's ability to effectively access the telephone network, by an individual who meets the requirements of §360.513 of this subchapter (relating to Persons Authorized to Certify Disability).

(b) A voucher recipient who has not exchanged an issued voucher in compliance with this subchapter, within the last five years, may be eligible for another voucher, as long as all other eligibility requirements are satisfied.

(c) A voucher recipient who has returned the equipment or has stopped a service received through the exchange of a voucher, in compliance with this subchapter, may be eligible for another voucher if the equipment is returned or the service is stopped in compliance with §360.527 of this subchapter (relating to STAP Vendor Duties and Responsibilities).

(d) A voucher recipient of an exchanged voucher in which the registered vendor was not reimbursed for the voucher exchanged in compliance with this subchapter, may be eligible for another voucher, as long as all other eligibility requirements are satisfied.

Source Note: The provisions of this §360.511 adopted to be effective March 30, 2021, 46 TexReg 2024