Comprehensive Rehabilitation Services

• 2011 Year In Review
• CRS Waiting List
• Interest and Waiting List
• Budget
• Find a CRS Counselor Near You
• Apply to the CRS Program
• Maps for CRS Providers around Texas
• Inpatient Comprehensive Medical Rehabilitation Programs in Texas
• Non-Residential Post Acute Brain Injury Rehabilitation Providers in Texas
• Residential Post Acute Brain Injury Rehabilitation Providers in Texas
• Traumatic Brain Injury Advisory Council

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Comprehensive Rehabilitation Services

Comprehensive Rehabilitation Services helps people with spinal cord and brain injuries receive intensive therapies to increase independence.

A high school football player received a serious brain injury one Friday night during a game. He lapsed into a coma for four months. The CRS program helped him.

A dental assistant with three kids had a car crash that left her body paralyzed from the neck down. The CRS program helped her.

A truck driver, an assault victim, was left paralyzed by the attack. Once again, the CRS program helped.

These are three different Texans with three different life-changing injuries. More importantly, these are three different people given hope by the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services' (DARS) Comprehensive Rehabilitation Services (CRS) program. Thanks to the DARS CRS program, these and other Texans have left nursing homes and hospitals to live in their own homes again.

The DARS CRS program helps consumers who have experienced:

• A traumatic brain injury, or
• A traumatic spinal cord injury.

Who is eligible for the Comprehensive Rehabilitation Services program?

In order to receive services, the consumer must:

• Have a traumatic brain injury, a traumatic spinal cord injury, or both. These injuries must have significantly affected the consumer's ability to perform daily activities.
• Be at least 15 years old.
• Be a United States citizen or immigrant alien.
• Have lived in Texas for at least six months or have a primary caregiver who has lived in Texas for at least six months.
• Be medically stable enough to participate in rehabilitation activities.
• Agree to participate in the services offered by the DARS CRS program.

What happens in the CRS program?

Every person in the CRS program receives their own treatment plan, based on their individual needs. The goal of the CRS program is to help people be more independent in their homes and communities.

Depending on what's needed, the CRS program pays for one or all of these treatments:

In-patient Comprehensive Medical Rehabilitation - A team of medical experts provides consumers with therapy, medical care, and other help. These services take place in a rehabilitation hospital and typically last 30 days.

Outpatient Services - Experts help consumers increase their ability to do daily activities that were affected by their injury. Consumers may have to go to a hospital or clinic during the day, but will be able to go home after their treatments.

Post-Acute Traumatic Brain Injury Services - These services help consumers deal with mental or thought issues related to their injury like forgetfulness or difficulties in solving problems. These services are offered on a residential (overnight stay) and non-residential basis.

Please understand that the CRS program has more people applying for services than it can serve. The consumer's name may be put on a waiting list once he or she is accepted into the program. CRS counselors will not be able to tell you how long the wait for services might be. Apply as soon as possible to receive CRS program services. When the consumer is medically stable enough - and when his or her turn comes up - we will let you know they can start the rehabilitation program.

What is the history of the DARS CRS program?

The CRS program was first funded in 1991 with the creation of dedicated funding to address traumatic brain injury and traumatic spinal cord injury.

How does the program get its funding?

Money for the CRS program comes from court fees charged on convictions of criminal felonies and misdemeanors. A portion of those fees fund the CRS program. Other money comes from General Revenue funds given to the program by the Texas Legislature. These funds help provide services to people on the waiting list as quickly as possible.

The goal of the CRS program to use this funding is to:

• Serve as many people as possible as soon as possible; and
• Deliver services that will give the most effective help.

Definition of Terms:

Abilities: physical or mental capacity to perform tasks of daily living.

Eligible: meeting the requirements to participate in a program.

Independent: living and carrying out daily activities with little or no help from others.

Medically stable: a point in the recovery process when rehabilitation can begin because the patient's medical issues have improved.

Rehabilitation: the process of teaching a person how to do daily activities even though they have a disability.

Therapy: treatments to help a person gain strength, endurance, and ability with speech, mobility, and activities of daily living.

Traumatic: In the CRS program, an external physical force that causes a sudden change to the body.