What That $10 Medical Fee Means: Understanding Healthcare Charges at Dallas County Jail
Seeing a $10 medical charge on a loved one's jail account can catch you off guard—especially if you assumed basic care was free. At Dallas County Jail, that $10.00 fee applies to specific types of medical requests and assessments. There are exceptions, and if a charge is wrong, there's a way to appeal it.
At Dallas County Jail, the $10.00 medical care fee is charged per request or per incident - not as a one-time enrollment. Someone can be charged $10.00 each time they submit a written medical request (often called a
Example: If someone submits a medical kite today and makes a separate verbal request next week, those are two separate $10.00 fees. The same $10.00 fee can also be assessed when an incident or an inquiry to the Sheriff’s Office results in a licensed healthcare staff member doing an assessment.
Exceptions
- ✓ Nursing assessments performed upon intake
- ✓ Medical and mental health assessments within the Medical Assessment Program (MAP)
- ✓ Psychiatric assessments within the Psychiatric Assessment Program (PAP)
- ✓ Closed behavioral observation provider visits
- ✓ Crisis stabilization services
- ✓ Participation in mental health therapy groups
- ✓ Follow-up appointments made by health services
- ✓ Prescription medications
- ✓ Tuberculosis (TB) testing
- ✓ Testing for sexually transmitted diseases
Note: Dallas County’s policy specifically says there’s no fee for crisis stabilization services and no fee for prescription medications.
When a medical fee is assessed, Dallas County may deduct it directly from the inmate's trust fund (commissary) account - the same account used for commissary purchases. There's a floor on these deductions: the fee can only be taken if it doesn't drop the account balance below $6.00. The policy won't allow deductions that leave less than $6.00 in the account.
Note: Health services are provided regardless of the patient’s ability to pay for the service.
- Write an appeal request - the inmate must submit a written request to the Parkland site administrator’s office.
- Include the key details - list the date of the charge, the fee amount, and the reason for the appeal.
If Dallas County determines a medical charge was made in error, the patient's commissary funds will be refunded. If you're trying to help from the outside, encourage your loved one to document the date, what happened, and why they believe the fee shouldn't have been charged.
Dallas County's inmate health service fee rules appear in the inmate handbook given to inmates. They're also posted in the health clinics inside the jails.
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