How to file a complaint about a Texas assisted living facility

Last updated Oct 30, 2026 · Texas data: HHSC roster as of 10/28/2026, TULIP records collected through Oct 30, 2026

If you're worried about care at a Texas assisted living facility, you can report it to the state. You don't have to be a resident or family member, and you don't have to be sure a rule was broken. Here's how, based on HHSC's own instructions.

If someone is in immediate danger, call 911 first. Then report to HHSC.

Who handles complaints

HHSC's Complaint and Incident Intake (CII) takes complaints about licensed long-term care providers, including assisted living facilities. According to HHSC, anyone can complain: the person affected, family members, health care providers, advocates, police or other agencies.

Four ways to file

Online, through the TULIP complaint portal. HHSC calls this the most direct way. It's available 24/7, and you get an intake number as soon as you submit.
By phone: 1-800-458-9858. Agents answer Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central. After hours, leave a voicemail and someone will call back by the next workday. Say and spell your name, give a daytime number with area code, give the facility's name and address, and briefly and specifically describe the problem.
By email: ciicomplaints@hhs.texas.gov.
By mail or fax: Texas Health and Human Services Complaint and Incident Intake, Mail Code E249, P.O. Box 149030, Austin, TX 78714-9030. Long-term care fax: 877-438-5827 or 512-438-2724. HHSC encourages the portal or phone instead, so it gets the information right away.

CII doesn't take complaints in person.

What to have ready

HHSC asks for as much of this as you can provide:

Your name, mailing address, email and daytime phone, and your relationship to the resident.
The facility's name and address.
How you know about the situation: did you see it, or hear about it from someone else?
The resident's name and how they were affected, including any injuries or harm to their physical or mental well-being. HHSC also asks for details like the level of care they should be getting, date of birth, room or unit, relevant medical history and how their care is paid for, if you know them.
The date, time and place of what happened, and the names of witnesses, the person allegedly responsible, and anyone else with information.
Whether you think other residents had the same problem.

If you write in, don't send documents, photos or video. Tell HHSC that you have them.

It helps to look up the facility on this site first, so you have its exact name, address and license number in front of you.

What happens next

You'll get an acknowledgment, and the complaint is logged in HHSC's tracking system.
HHSC Regulatory Services reviews it and decides whether to investigate. HHSC says it investigates most, but not all, complaints. It generally doesn't investigate issues outside its rules, issues more than a year old (with limited exceptions), harassing complaints, or matters it has already investigated.
Complaints are prioritized by risk. When there's a threat of imminent danger of death or serious bodily harm, HHSC must investigate a long-term care provider within 24 hours.
Investigations are unannounced and can include observation, record reviews and interviews. An investigator may contact you for more information.
When it's done, HHSC tells you the result in writing or by phone.

If the investigation finds a violation, the facility can be cited, citations appear on its record in TULIP, and serious or repeated violations can lead to an administrative penalty. In our Texas data, 354 penalties have been imposed at 276 facilities.

Will the facility know it was you?

HHSC says it keeps your name confidential unless the law requires it to be released. You can file anonymously, but then HHSC can't tell you the results. Under the residents' rights rule (§553.267), a resident can complain about their care, anonymously or through someone they choose, and the facility must not take punitive action against a resident who complains. Residents also have the right to file complaints with state agencies without threat of reprisal or retaliation.

Another source of help: the ombudsman

The State Long-Term Care Ombudsman program advocates for residents of assisted living facilities and nursing homes. Its services are free and confidential, and ombudsmen are separate from HHS and independent of any facility. Call 1-800-252-2412 or email ltc.ombudsman@hhs.texas.gov to reach the ombudsman in your area.

According to the ombudsman program, ombudsmen listen to concerns, explain residents' rights, and investigate complaints with the goal of resolving them to the resident's satisfaction. They don't regulate facilities, and they act only with the consent of the resident or the resident's representative. Anyone can call one for information. A resident can get help from an ombudsman and also file a complaint with HHSC.

How we got these numbers

The complaint steps summarize HHSC's "How do I make a complaint about an HHS service provider?" page and its Complaint and Incident Intake page, as published on October 30, 2026, and the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman's website. The points about residents' right to complain come from 26 TAC §553.267. The penalty counts come from TULIP enforcement records in our data.

All counts on this page are computed from the same Texas data that powers the facility pages on Assisted Living Inspections: the HHSC licensed assisted living roster and the inspection citations and enforcement actions published in TULIP. They're recalculated every time the site is rebuilt. Full details are in our methodology.

Sources

Informational only, not medical or legal advice. This guide explains public records and Texas rules in plain language. It isn't a rating of any facility and isn't a substitute for advice from a doctor, lawyer or the state. Rules change. HHSC proposed a broad rewrite of Chapter 553 in September 2026, so check the current rule text before you rely on a specific section number. If something here doesn't match the official record, the official record wins.