October 21, 2025 Get Involved in Texas’ Sunset Advisory Process: A Rare Chance to Shape Future Supports and Services for Texans with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Every session of the Texas Legislature brings opportunities to improve the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). One of the biggest opportunities doesn’t always make headlines, but it shapes the very foundations of the systems we rely on: Texas’ Sunset review process.
State agencies are reviewed only once every 10 years by the Sunset Advisory Commission, making this a rare opportunity to shape the future of services and supports for Texans with IDD. As The Arc of Texas monitors this process and analyzes agency reports, we are sharing opportunities for advocacy—because your stories, experiences, and input can ensure the voices of people with disabilities and their families are at the center of systemic public policy decisions made as a result of this review process.
What is the Sunset Review process?
Conducted by the Sunset Advisory Commission, this review process determines if current state agencies should continue to exist, how they should operate, and how they can better serve Texans.
When does it take place?
These reviews happen on a set schedule, and in the lead-up to the 2027 Texas Legislative Session, 16 state agencies will undergo this process. Agencies are reviewed by the Sunset Advisory Commission once every ten years. Two state agencies that are especially critical for Texans with IDD and their families are under review this cycle:
- The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC): This state agency oversees Medicaid, long-term services and supports, and the Medicaid waiver programs that help people with IDD live in their communities.
- The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC): This state agency provides employment support, vocational rehabilitation, and workforce development services vital to people with disabilities seeking meaningful jobs.
Why does it matter?
The Sunset review process is a mechanism for Texans to shape how state agencies serve our communities. The Arc of Texas, Texans with IDD and their families and caretakers know what’s working and what isn’t. In other words, the disability community has a uniquely personal understanding of what needs to change at agencies like HHSC and TWC.
By sharing your experiences, you can help the Sunset Advisory Commission and lawmakers understand the real challenges Texans with IDD face in accessing vital services. The feedback gathered during this review process will influence how HHSC and TWC support Texans with IDD for the next ten years, until their next Sunset review in 2035.
About the review process
The Sunset review process unfolds in several phases:
Phase 1: Self-Evaluation Reports (SERs) (September 2025): Every agency under the Sunset review process must formally submit a Self-Evaluation Report to the Sunset Advisory Commission to explain what the agency does, how it is organized, and how it operates. It also includes a “Major Issues” section where the agency highlights the challenges it faces and possible solutions. This helps Sunset Advisory Commission staff determine potential new laws or policy changes to make the agency serve Texans more effectively.
Here is a summary of the two agency self-evaluation reports we are engaging with:
Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) Self Elvaluation Report:
HHSC’s 1,100+ page Self-Evaluation Report identifies six major issues, including two of note that highlight long-standing challenges The Arc of Texas believes are central to improving care for Texans with IDD
- Major Issue 1: Improve Customer Experience (page 1,021)
- Major Issue 5: Improve IDD Coordination (page 1,034)
Texas families continue to face barriers navigating the array of programs and services administered by HHSC— that Texans with IDD need, including Medicaid, Medicaid waiver programs (HCS, TxHmL, CLASS, MDCP, and DBMD), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and more.
Under Major Issue 5 (Improve IDD Coordination), HHSC notes rising demand for State Supported Living Center (SSLC) admissions among younger individuals with high behavioral and psychiatric needs requiring a forensic commitment.
A forensic commitment occurs when a person with IDD who is involved in the criminal legal system is committed to an SSLC because a court determines they need treatment related to their disability before, or in place of, participating in the standard legal process. Because only two of the twelve SSLCs currently accept forensic admissions, long wait times have developed for commitment and access to competency restoration services. To address this, HHSC recommends authorizing additional SSLCs to accept forensic admissions.
This marks a significant shift from HHSC’s 2015 Sunset review, when the Sunset Advisory Commission recommended creating a SSLC Restructuring Commission to evaluate and consolidate facilities, a proposal the Texas Legislature did not adopt.
While past policy discussions have prioritized shifting resources to community-based services and reducing the number of institutions in the state, the current strategy emphasizes expanding institutional capacity as a short-term crisis response, leaving systemic challenges unaddressed. This approach is likely to result in a growing institutional population and longer wait times for community-based supports as funding is diverted to SSLCs rather than gaps in the community system.
Texas must urgently strengthen its system of supports for people with IDD. Right now, thousands of Texans spend years on waiting lists for crucial access to Medicaid waiver services, and when they finally get support, many families struggle to find and keep consistent, high-quality direct care staff due to low wages.
Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) Self Evaluation Report:
TWC’s 550+ page Self-Evaluation Report describes operations within the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program, which supports Texans with disabilities in preparing for and securing employment. TWC reports that in Program Year 2023, 49.5% of Texans exiting the VR program achieved competitive integrated employment, seven points above the national average.
Families and self-advocates have shared that frequent turnover among VR counselors can make accessing employment supports difficult, and individuals with higher support needs often face additional barriers to these services. Sharing these experiences can help the Sunset Commission better understand where improvements are needed. Your feedback could include past experiences of working with a VR counselor at your local Texas Workforce Solutions office or completing job training with a job coach.
For context, during the 2014–2015 Sunset review of the now non-existent Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS), Senate Bill 208 transferred VR programs to TWC. 2025 is the first time the VR program will be reviewed by the Sunset Advisory Commission since it became part of TWC, making family and participant feedback especially valuable.
Phase 2: Staff Review & Recommendations (September 2025 to January 2027): During this period, Sunset Advisory Commission staff study the agencies under review, examine data, and receive feedback from stakeholders, such as The Arc of Texas and members of the public, like you. Their final report is then published on the Sunset Advisory Commission website and recommendations are issued for legislative action.
“Sharing your personal experiences related to engaging with HHSC and TWC can help the Sunset Commission better understand where improvements are needed. The voices of Texans with IDD and their families are critical to this process and the chance it offers to improve people’s quality of life.” — Sabrina Gonzalez Saucedo, The Arc of Texas Director of Public Policy & Advocacy
Phase 3: Public Hearings: After the Sunset Advisory Commission publishes its final report, the agency under review has an opportunity to respond to the report’s findings and holds hearings where Texans—including people with IDD, their families, and advocates—can provide testimony and share their feedback.
Phase 4: Legislative Action (January to June 2027): Finally, the Texas Legislature will consider Sunset bills during the 90th legislative session, beginning in January 2027, and decide on the future of each agency.
How you can shape future services and supports
Help the Sunset Advisory Commission and lawmakers understand the challenges you face in accessing vital services through HHSC and TWC. First, familiarize yourself with HHSC’s Self Evaluation Report and TWC’s Self Evaluation Report to understand their operations and identify areas for improvement. Then, share your thoughts, concerns and suggestions through one of these avenues (or all):
- Submit comments directly to the Sunset Advisory Commission via their Sunset Public Input Form.
- Share your thoughts with The Arc of Texas through one or all of the ways below. We’ll incorporate them into our official comments to the commission:
- Submit comments through The Arc of Texas’ Sunset Review Survey
- Attend one of our virtual listening sessions on Zoom:
