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Independent Living vs. Assisted Living

Independent living is generally unlicensed housing in Texas since no personal care is provided; assisted living requires an HHSC Type A or Type B license.

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Short answer

Independent living is generally unlicensed in Texas because no personal care is provided -- residents fully manage their own daily activities. Assisted living requires an HHSC Type A or Type B license because personal care services are part of what's delivered.

Several larger campuses in the Fort Worth metro, including continuum communities in the Alliance area, offer independent living and assisted living on the same site, letting a resident move between levels without changing addresses. If personal care assistance is already needed, independent living is the wrong category regardless of how a community frames its available support services.

Questions families ask

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.

Does Texas Medicaid pay for assisted living in Fort Worth?

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.

What's the difference between Texas's Medicaid expansion and Medicaid for seniors?

Texas has not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, but that decision has no bearing on long-term-care Medicaid for seniors, which is a completely separate, decades-old eligibility pathway for people who are 65 or older, or blind or disabled.

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