The program helps families access ABA therapy through local organizations. Advocates worry cuts could make affordable autism care harder to access.
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas health officials are proposing $0 in funding for the Children’s Autism Program in the 2028–29 budget, raising concerns among advocates that families could have fewer options for affordable autism therapy.
The program helps families access applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy through local community organizations. Advocates said the therapy can help children with autism develop communication and social skills, build independence and learn emotional regulation.
This story continues below.
At Spark Learning, staff told KVUE ABA therapy can also give families tools to support their children in everyday life.
“With the services we are giving the child and the families the resources to be able to go and do things that a lot of us take for granted,” said Hannah Hirchata, Spark Learning preschool program director.
But Hirchata worries eliminating the program’s funding would make therapy harder to access.
“It’s definitely going to limit the accessibility 100%,” she said.
Last month, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) submitted its budget request for the 2028–29 biennium.
State documents show about $13 million went toward the Children’s Autism Program over the previous two-year budget period. However, the agency’s latest request lists $0 for the program in fiscal years 2028 and 2029.
Jacquie Benestante, executive director of the Autism Society of Texas, said the proposed elimination came as a surprise.
“A lot of times they underfund programs, so we are used to that. But we were really shocked that it was $0,” Benestante said.
She said the program helps fill a gap for families who may not have Medicaid or whose private insurance does not cover ABA therapy,
“It’s really devastating to lose this and to have affordable and accessible ABA is huge,” she said.
Benestante said an abrupt loss of funding could disrupt care for children who rely on the services and the consistency they provide.
The proposal comes as state leaders have directed nearly all state agencies to reduce their baseline funding requests by 3% ahead of the next legislative session. The legislature will determine HHSC’s budget and any changes to the program during the upcoming session.
In response to questions about the proposed reduction, HHSC pointed to its budget reduction summary, which states the agency “focused reductions on the lowest direct service impact to clients and minimizing impacts to federal funding.”
In a statement to KVUE, HHSC said in part:
“The Children’s Autism Program (CAP) is a payor of last resort and implements cost sharing for families participating in services based on a sliding scale and the availability of insurance coverage. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2025, 655 children received services in the program, of those nearly 89% had some type of coverage, including federal/state funded coverage (68% of the 655 children receive coverage via Medicaid and CHIP as well). Children will continue to receive CAP services through the end of August 2027 with current funding.”