May 19, 2015 |

Assisted living measure awaits Texas governor’s signature

Legislation recently passed unanimously by the Senate and House of Representatives in Texas, if signed by Gov. Greg Abbott as expected, would enable assisted living community operators in good standing with the state to permit residents to move in as soon as the licensure process is complete. The Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA) is touting the bill’s passage as a victory for the Texas Assisted Living Association (TALA), which advocated on its behalf.

Under current law, assisted living communities must prohibit more than three residents to move in after the first state inspection and before the second inspection. Because a significant amount of time could pass between the inspections, families were left in limbo, and communities had to fully staff buildings with few residents, according to ALFA. “The new language gives peace of mind to residents seeking to know their move-in date and plan accordingly,” TALA President and CEO Gail Harmon said in a statement.

The legislation also would:

Ensure that operators licensed according to this provision would have a survey from the Department of Aging and Disability Services within three months.
Allow the community to be inspected at capacity, which ALFA maintains is a better measure of how an assisted living community operates.

Florida also recently passed assisted living reforms.

Lois Bowers

Lois A. Bowers was senior editor of I Advance Senior Care / Long-Term Living from 2013-2015.