Sec. 35.0021. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:

(1) "Case management services" includes:

(A) coordinating medical services, marshaling available assistance, serving as a liaison between the child and the child's family and caregivers, insurance services, and other services needed to improve the well-being of the child and the child's family; and

(B) counseling for the child and the child's family about measures to prevent the transmission of AIDS or HIV and the availability in the geographic area of any appropriate health care services, such as mental health care, psychological health care, and social and support services.

(2) "Child with special health care needs" has the meaning assigned by Section 35.0022.

(3) "Dentist" means a person licensed by the State Board of Dental Examiners to practice dentistry in this state.

(4) "Facility" includes a hospital, an ambulatory surgical center, and an outpatient clinic.

(5) "Family support services" means support, resources, or other assistance provided to the family of a child with special health care needs. The term may include services described by Part A of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. Section 1400 et seq.), as amended, and permanency planning, as that term is defined by Section 531.151, Government Code.

(6) "Other benefit" means a benefit, other than a benefit provided under this chapter, to which a person is entitled for payment of the costs of services provided under the program, including benefits available from:

(A) an insurance policy, group health plan, health maintenance organization, or prepaid medical or dental care plan;

(B) Title XVIII, Title XIX, or Title XXI of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 1395 et seq., 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1396 et seq., and 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1397aa et seq.), as amended;

(C) the United States Department of Veterans Affairs;

(D) the TRICARE program of the United States Department of Defense;

(E) workers' compensation or any other compulsory employers' insurance program;

(F) a public program created by federal or state law or the ordinances or rules of a municipality or other political subdivision of the state, excluding benefits created by the establishment of a municipal or county hospital, a joint municipal-county hospital, a county hospital authority, a hospital district, or the facilities of a publicly supported medical school; or

(G) a cause of action for the cost of care, including medical care, dental care, facility care, and medical supplies, required for a person applying for or receiving services from the department, or a settlement or judgment based on the cause of action, if the expenses are related to the need for services provided under this chapter.

(7) "Physician" means a person licensed by the Texas Medical Board to practice medicine in this state.

(8) "Program" means the services program for children with special health care needs.

(9) "Provider" means a person who delivers services purchased by the department for the purposes of this chapter.

(10) "Rehabilitation services" means the process of the physical restoration, improvement, or maintenance of a body function destroyed or impaired by congenital defect, disease, or injury and includes:

(A) facility care, medical and dental care, and occupational, speech, and physical therapy;

(B) the provision of braces, artificial appliances, durable medical equipment, and other medical supplies; and

(C) other types of care specified by department rules.

(11) "Services" means the care, activities, and supplies provided under this chapter or department rules, including medical care, dental care, facility care, medical supplies, occupational, physical, and speech therapy, and other care specified by department rules.

(12) "Specialty center" means a facility and staff that meet minimum standards established under the program and are designated by the department for program use in the comprehensive diagnostic and treatment services for a specific medical condition.

(13) "Support" means to contribute money or services necessary for a person's maintenance, including food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and health care.

Added by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 1505, Sec. 3.02, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.

Amended by:

Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1 (S.B. 219), Sec. 3.0110, eff. April 2, 2015.