Type A or Type B assisted living?

What decides whether a resident needs Type A or Type B assisted living?

Evacuation ability decides it: a Type A resident can leave the building in an emergency without staff help, does not need routine attention at night and can follow emergency directions, while a Type B resident may need staff to help them out, may need care overnight, or may not be able to follow directions.

Source: 26 TAC Chapter 553, Licensing Standards for Assisted Living Facilities.

A wheelchair user who transfers and leaves independently can live in Type A. A walker user who becomes confused at night belongs in Type B.

Which license type is more common in Hidalgo County?

Type B is the norm: 15 of Hidalgo County's 16 licensed assisted living facilities are Type B and 1 is Type A in HHSC's directory of November 5, 2026.

That means most Valley buildings can keep residents as their needs grow, up to the point of being permanently bedfast. When touring, confirm the type on HHSC's directory rather than relying on what the sales office says.

Can a Type A building keep a resident whose needs increase?

Only while the resident still meets Type A criteria; once a resident needs staff help to evacuate or regular care at night, a Type A building has to arrange a move, usually to a Type B building or a nursing home.

Choosing a Type B building at the outset avoids that second move for most residents. Families of someone with a progressive condition, such as Parkinson's or dementia, often decide on Type B for that reason even if Type A fits today.

Does the license type change what a resident pays?

Not directly; Texas sets no rates by license type, but Type B buildings typically staff nights more heavily and charge more for higher levels of care, so ask each building for its written level-of-care schedule.

Compare what each level includes. In small 16-resident homes common across the Valley, one awake staff member overnight may be the norm, so ask how a two-person transfer at 3 a.m. would be handled.