4410 ERS Introduction

Revision 19-13; Effective November 5, 2019

Emergency Response Services (ERS) are provided through an electronic monitoring system and are used by functionally impaired adults who live alone or who are functionally isolated in the community. In an emergency, the member can press a call button to signal for help. The electronic monitoring system, which has a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week monitoring capability, helps to ensure the appropriate person or service provider responds to an alarm call from a member.

4420 ERS Program Purpose

Revision 19-13; Effective November 5, 2019

The purpose of Emergency Response Services (ERS) under the STAR+PLUS Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) program is to:

  • enable aged and disabled persons to maintain dignity, independence, individuality, privacy, choice and decision-making ability; and
  • prevent or reduce inappropriate institutional care by providing home-based care and other forms of less intensive care.

4430 ERS Member Eligibility

Revision 23-2; Effective May 15, 2023

A member must meet the following criteria to be eligible for Emergency Response Services (ERS) through the STAR+PLUS Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) program:

  • have been determined eligible for the STAR+PLUS HCBS program;
  • be mentally alert enough to operate the equipment properly, in the judgment of the managed care organization (MCO) service coordinator;
  • have a phone with a private line if the system requires a private line to function properly;
  • be willing to sign a release statement that allows the responder to make a forced entry into the member's home if he or she is asked to respond to an activated alarm call and has no other means of entering the home to respond; and
  • live in a place other than an adult foster care (AFC), assisted living facility (ALF), institution or any other setting where 24-hour supervision is available.

4440 ERS Referral and Selection of Providers

Revision 19-13; Effective November 5, 2019

If the member is considered eligible for Emergency Response Services (ERS), the managed care organization (MCO) shares a contracted list of all ERS providers with the member, who selects a provider from the list. The member can request a provider change; however, the member must contact his or her MCO service coordinator to request the change.

The MCO follows the procedures in Section 3600, Ongoing Service Coordination, and gives the member an explanation of the service and requirements.

4450 ERS Duties

Revision 19-13; Effective November 5, 2019

If the member wants and appears to be in need of Emergency Response Services (ERS), the managed care organization (MCO) service coordinator determines if the member meets the general criteria for participating in ERS, as described in Section 4430, ERS Member Eligibility. The MCO may involve other members of the interdisciplinary team (IDT) in the decision regarding the member's physical and mental ability to participate in the ERS program. ERS may be authorized through the STAR+PLUS Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) program when it appears the member may need the capability to notify a respondent of an emergency. ERS services are limited to members who:

  • live alone;
  • are alone for significant parts of the day;
  • have no regular primary caregiver for extended periods of time and who would otherwise require extensive supervision; or
  • live with someone who is too incapacitated to call for help should the need arise.

During the course of the services, the MCO and the provider have the joint responsibility of keeping each other informed of changes or problems.

4460 Provider Duties

Revision 19-13; Effective November 5, 2019

Managed care organization (MCO) contracted providers' duties specific to Emergency Response Services (ERS) are described in Title 40 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) Part 1, Chapter 52, Subchapter D.