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Senior care rules in your state, in plain language

Every state regulates senior care differently. These are the rules that change decisions.

Quick answer

Texas licenses assisted living as Type A or Type B under Health and Safety Code Chapter 247, and requires a filed disclosure statement, not a separate license, for memory care.

HomeSenior care rules in your state, in plain language
How your state licenses assisted living. Texas splits assisted living into Type A (residents who can self-evacuate) and Type B (residents who need staff help evacuating or nighttime attendance) under Health and Safety Code Chapter 247. Read the full explanation →

Guides to your state's rules

How Texas Licenses Assisted Living

Texas tiers assisted living licenses by evacuation ability -- Type A and Type B -- rather than issuing one blanket license, under Health and Safety Code Chapter 247.

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Memory Care: Disclosure, Not a Separate License, in Texas

Texas requires a filed Alzheimer's/dementia Disclosure Statement (26 TAC Section 553.264) for any facility marketing memory care -- it does not issue a separate memory-care license.

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How to Verify a Facility's License

The state tools that show license status and inspection history, and why a clean review page means nothing about the regulatory record.

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Medicaid Expansion vs. Long-Term Care Medicaid in Texas

Texas has not expanded Medicaid under the ACA. That decision has no bearing on long-term-care Medicaid for seniors, a separate, decades-old eligibility pathway.

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STAR+PLUS HCBS, Explained

Texas's STAR+PLUS HCBS waiver pays for care services inside a participating assisted living facility -- room and board remains the resident's own responsibility.

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STAR+PLUS HCBS for In-Home Care, Explained

The same STAR+PLUS HCBS waiver that funds assisted-living-style care also funds in-home services for Fort Worth-area seniors who want to stay in their own home.

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STAR+PLUS Managed Care for Dual-Eligibles, Explained

STAR+PLUS is Texas's Medicaid managed care program for people who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid, or who have a disability -- most Fort Worth-area seniors on Medicaid long-term-care services are enrolled in a STAR+PLUS plan.

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The Local Ombudsman and Filing Complaints

Two different systems: the free, independent long-term care ombudsman, and the state health department complaint line. Here is when to use each.

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You can check any facility's record free. Call HHSC's Complaint and Incident Intake line at 1-800-458-9858 for any Texas facility's complaint and inspection history. Assisted living is not CMS star-rated -- only nursing homes are. Read the full explanation →

Questions families ask

What does HHSC license, and what law covers assisted living in Texas?

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) Long Term Care Regulatory division licenses assisted living facilities under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 247 and 26 Texas Administrative Code Part 1, Chapter 553. HHSC issues either a Type A or Type B license depending on residents' ability to evacuate in an emergency.

Is memory care a separate license in Texas, or something else?

Texas does not issue a separate 'memory care license.' Any facility that markets or holds itself out as providing dementia care must instead file an Alzheimer's/dementia Disclosure Statement with HHSC under 26 TAC Section 553.264, and make it available to families before admission.

How do I check a Fort Worth-area facility's inspection history myself?

HHSC's Long Term Care Regulatory division maintains survey and enforcement records for every licensed Texas assisted living facility. You can also call HHSC's Complaint and Incident Intake line at 1-800-458-9858, 24 hours a day, to ask about a specific facility's complaint or inspection history.

What's the difference between a Type A and Type B assisted living license in Fort Worth?

Type A facilities serve residents capable of following directions to evacuate on their own and who don't need routine overnight attendance. Type B facilities serve residents who need staff help to evacuate, can't follow emergency directions independently, or need nighttime staff attendance -- most memory care in the metro falls under Type B.

Do Fort Worth assisted living facilities have to disclose past violations to families?

Texas law does not require a facility to hand a prospective resident its inspection history unprompted, but that history is public and available through HHSC. Ask directly for a copy, or pull it yourself through HHSC's Complaint and Incident Intake line before you tour.

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