Texas officials are allowing more time for the parents of 34,000 children living in Hurricane Ike-affected areas to turn in applications for Medicaid and other government health insurance programs.

The executive commissioner of Texas Health and Human Services, Albert Hawkins, said officials decided to err on the side of caution given Ike's widespread damage and disruption.

The extension begins Jan. 1.

State officials earlier said thousands of children living in Hurricane Ike-devastated areas were in danger of losing health coverage in 2009 because they had not been re-enrolled in government health insurance programs.

An agency spokeswoman says the extension doesn't apply in cases where the state received the application and determined that the family was not eligible.

New packets will be sent to families in order to be renewed by April.