Figuring out how to pay for assisted living in Texas is one of the most stressful parts of arranging care, and the honest answer is that no single program covers the full monthly bill.

Assisted living in Texas runs a median of about $5,666 a month in the most recent CareScout survey, so plan on paying from more than one source: personal income and savings, long-term care insurance, VA Aid and Attendance for those who served, and, for low-income seniors, the STAR+PLUS Medicaid waiver, which helps with care services but never room and board., This guide walks through each source so you can build a realistic plan for your family.

In This Guide

What Assisted Living Costs in Texas

Before you can plan how to pay, it helps to know the real number you are planning against. According to the CareScout (formerly Genworth) 2025 Cost of Care Survey, the most recent state-level data, the median cost of assisted living in Texas is about $5,666 a month ($67,992 a year), below the national median of about $6,200 a month ($74,400 a year) and 34th highest among the states. CareScout collects rates by metro area, so a single state median hides real variation between Texas metros, and it is a provider-reported survey figure, not a quote for any particular resident. Treat that median as a planning anchor, and ask each community for its level-of-care schedule and an all-in monthly price that separates the base rent from any care-level charges.

That monthly number is the starting point for everything below: the goal is to assemble enough from the sources that follow to cover it for as long as your parent needs care.

Private Pay

For many families, the hardest moment is realizing the early bills will come out of your own pocket. Knowing which resources to draw on, and in what order, makes that less overwhelming. The sources to look at are:

  • Income: Social Security, pensions, and retirement-account withdrawals are the steadiest base.
  • Savings and investments: drawn down on a planned schedule so you know how many months or years they will cover at about $5,666 a month.
  • The family home: selling the home, or borrowing against it through a home-equity line or a reverse mortgage if a spouse still lives there, frees up a large share of many families' net worth.
  • Annuities and life-insurance conversions: some families convert a life-insurance policy to a long-term-care benefit or use an annuity to turn a lump sum into predictable monthly income.

Build a written timeline of how long private funds will last. Knowing the month at which savings would run low is what makes it possible to apply for Medicaid in time, rather than in a crisis.

One caution if you may need Medicaid later: turning the home or another asset into cash can backfire. Texas Medicaid limits countable resources to $2,000 for an individual, and while a Texas home your parent plans to return to can be excluded, cash from selling it or from a reverse-mortgage lump sum is not on the excluded list., Gifts or other transfers for less than fair market value within the five years (60 months) before applying can also trigger a penalty period, a span during which Medicaid will not pay for long-term care., If Medicaid is on your horizon, get advice before you sell or transfer anything.

Long-Term Care Insurance

If your parent bought a long-term care insurance policy, it can help with the assisted living bill: it is private insurance designed to cover the personal and custodial care that traditional health insurance is not designed to cover, in settings that can include the home or a facility, and it fills a gap Medicare leaves, since Medicare does not pay for non-skilled help with activities of daily living. Read the policy for a few things: the daily or monthly benefit amount, the benefit period or lifetime maximum, and which care settings it covers. Whether it pays for assisted living, and not only nursing-home care, depends on the policy's own terms, so find its list of covered settings before you count on it. A policy pays only after a benefit trigger, most often needing help with two or more of six activities of daily living or having a cognitive impairment, which the insurer decides through its own nurse or social-worker assessment. Benefits then begin only after the elimination period, the time that must pass after the trigger before payment starts, which most policies let the buyer set at 30, 60, or 90 days when the policy is bought; your parent pays for care during that stretch, and some policies count only days of paid care toward it. Call the insurer's claims department as soon as care needs begin, so the assessment can be scheduled and you know exactly what the policy will and won't pay.

VA Aid and Attendance

A wartime veteran or a surviving spouse who needs help with daily activities may qualify for VA Aid and Attendance, an add-on to the VA pension that provides extra income that can be applied to assisted living. For the rate year running December 1, 2025 through November 30, 2026, VA sets the maximum as an annual amount: $29,093 for a veteran with no dependents, $34,488 for a veteran with one dependent, and a lower maximum of $18,697 for a surviving spouse. These are ceilings, not payments: VA pays monthly, taking the annual maximum, subtracting your parent's countable income, and dividing the remainder by 12, and unreimbursed medical expenses can reduce countable income. Eligibility depends on qualifying wartime service, a need for another person's help with daily activities such as bathing, feeding, and dressing, and income and net-worth limits (the net-worth limit for the same rate year is $163,699), with a three-year look-back on asset transfers. The home your parent lives in, their car, and basic home items like appliances sit outside that net-worth figure, so a paid-off house does not by itself disqualify anyone. Because the rules are technical, it is worth applying with help from a VA-accredited representative, found through the VA's accreditation search at va.gov/ogc/apps/accreditation, even if you are unsure your parent qualifies.

Paying for Assisted Living in Texas with Medicaid and STAR+PLUS

If your parent's savings are running low, you may be counting on Medicaid to step in, and it is important to know exactly what it does and does not cover before you build your plan around it. Texas Medicaid does not pay the room-and-board cost of assisted living. What it can do, for eligible low-income seniors, is pay for the personal-care and support services portion through the STAR+PLUS Home and Community-Based Services program, which covers personal care and support services for a member in a licensed assisted living facility contracted with the member's managed care organization. Nursing, therapy, adaptive aids, medical supplies, and minor home modifications are covered as well, but as separate STAR+PLUS HCBS services authorized on the individual service plan rather than as part of the assisted living daily rate. The resident still pays room and board, which is set at the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) federal benefit rate minus an $85 personal-needs allowance. It is a set rate that changes only when the federal benefit rate changes, generally each January 1, and it cannot be waived, although a facility may choose to accept a member for a lower amount. A copayment is a separate charge from room and board: SSI recipients are not required to pay one, but members whose financial eligibility was determined under the special institutional criteria are.

Two catches matter for planning. First, the STAR+PLUS HCBS program has an interest list (waitlist): a person becomes an applicant only when released from the interest list, so it is not care you can count on starting the week you apply. Second, the facility must be contracted to accept STAR+PLUS. To qualify, a person needs full Medicaid financial eligibility and an approved medical necessity determination for a nursing-facility level of care, along with other criteria such as Texas residency and an individual service plan within the program's cost limit. If your parent's finances are near the limits, getting advice before applying can prevent costly missteps and timing problems with the interest list.

To get started, get on the interest list and line up intake help through these Texas contacts.

HHSC Long-Term Services and Supports Interest List Call to add your parent's name to the STAR+PLUS HCBS interest list, which runs in the background while you plan. 1-877-438-5658
2-1-1 Texas General intake and referral help finding Medicaid and long-term care services near you. 2-1-1
Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) Applies Texas Medicaid's financial and level-of-care rules and administers STAR+PLUS. hhs.texas.gov

How to Pay for Assisted Living in Texas Step by Step

A realistic Texas plan layers these sources rather than relying on any one of them. Work through them in this order.

1
Step 1

Map how long private funds last

Add up income, savings, and home equity, then divide by about $5,666 a month to see how many months or years you can cover before you need help. Knowing the month savings would run low is what lets you apply for Medicaid in time rather than in a crisis.

2
Step 2

Contact the long-term care insurer as soon as care needs begin

If your parent has a policy, call the claims department early so the insurer's assessment can be scheduled; benefits begin only after a benefit trigger is met and the policy's elimination period has passed, and your parent pays for care during that period.

3
Step 3

Apply for VA Aid and Attendance if there was wartime service

A wartime veteran or surviving spouse who needs help with daily activities may add up to $29,093 a year for a veteran toward the bill; apply with a VA-accredited representative even if you are unsure your parent qualifies.

4
Step 4

Call the STAR+PLUS interest-list line early

Get on the HHSC interest list well before funds run out so the wait runs in the background; the waiver becomes the backstop for personal-care services once income and assets are low enough.,

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Medicaid pay for assisted living in Texas?

Texas Medicaid does not pay the room-and-board cost of assisted living. Through the STAR+PLUS waiver, it can pay for personal-care services in an assisted living facility for eligible low-income seniors, while the resident covers room and board. The program has an interest list (waitlist), so a person can wait before services start.

How much does assisted living cost in Texas?

A median of about $5,666 a month ($67,992 a year) per the CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey, the most recent state-level data, below the national median of about $6,200 a month; costs vary between Texas metros, so ask each community for its all-in price.

Can VA benefits help pay for assisted living in Texas?

Yes. A wartime veteran or surviving spouse who needs help with daily activities may qualify for VA Aid and Attendance, up to $29,093 a year for a veteran with no dependents or $18,697 a year for a surviving spouse, which can be applied to assisted living.

How do I get Medicaid help for assisted living in Texas?

Qualify for STAR+PLUS by having full Medicaid financial eligibility and an approved medical necessity determination for a nursing-facility level of care, get on the interest list by calling the HHSC LTSS line at 1-877-438-5658, then enroll through a managed-care plan and choose a facility that accepts STAR+PLUS.,,

Will long-term care insurance cover assisted living?

It depends on the policy's own terms, so check its list of covered settings before you count on it. Long-term care insurance is designed to cover personal and custodial care in settings that can include the home or a facility, and it pays only after a benefit trigger, such as needing help with two or more of six activities of daily living or having a cognitive impairment, and then an elimination period, most often 30, 60, or 90 days, during which your parent pays for care. Contact the insurer as soon as care needs begin.

Learn More

Care TypesHow to Pay for Assisted Living by StateHow to pay for assisted living by state: Medicaid programs, state help and room-and-board rules all differ. See real examples, then open your state's guide. Care TypesAssisted Living in TexasHow to choose assisted living in Texas: confirm the HHSC license, ask about inspections, learn what STAR+PLUS Medicaid covers, and compare 2025 care costs. Care TypesCost of Senior Care in TexasWhat senior care costs in Texas in 2026: assisted living about $5,666 a month, a nursing home about $5,627 a month. Every setting, how it compares, how to pay. Care TypesMemory Care in TexasCareScout has no Texas memory care median; its $5,666/month assisted-living median is the closest reference. What STAR+PLUS covers and how to choose a facility. Care TypesNursing Homes in TexasNursing homes in Texas in 2026: a semi-private room runs about $67,525/year, well below the national median. What it costs, how Medicaid pays, how to choose. Care TypesAssisted Living vs. Memory Care in TexasAssisted living vs. memory care in Texas: about $5,666/month for daily-living help vs. somewhat more for secured, dementia-trained care. How to decide. Care TypesTexas Adult Foster Care: How It Works and What You PayTexas adult foster care places your parent in a caregiver's own home with 24-hour care. See who qualifies, who pays for what, and when a home needs a license.

Find personalized help paying for assisted living in Texas at brevy.com.

The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.

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