Texas Medicaid pays for care services inside a participating assisted living facility through the STAR+PLUS HCBS waiver, but it does not pay the facility's room-and-board charge -- that portion remains the resident's financial responsibility, typically funded from the resident's own income.
The detail behind the program
This is the single most common point of confusion families raise on calls into this site. STAR+PLUS HCBS is Texas's home and community based services waiver delivered through the STAR+PLUS Medicaid managed care program, and it can fund personal care assistance, in-home nursing, respite, emergency response systems and other care services delivered inside a qualifying assisted living facility. But 'Medicaid pays for assisted living' is an oversimplification that leads families to budget incorrectly -- ask any Fort Worth-area facility directly whether it currently holds an active STAR+PLUS HCBS provider agreement, and how many current residents are actually using it, since a facility can technically hold an agreement without having real capacity available.
Related questions
- What's the difference between Texas's Medicaid expansion and Medicaid for seniors?
- How does a Fort Worth family apply for the STAR+PLUS HCBS waiver?
- What are Texas's nursing facility Medicaid income and asset limits in 2026?
- What is Medicaid Estate Recovery, and does it affect a Fort Worth family's home?
