This is the real 2026 picture for texas star+plus hcbs medicaid waiver in Dallas, Dallas County — real local numbers and how families here actually pay, not a national average.
What senior care looks like in Dallas
Dallas is the metro's population center and has by far the deepest inventory of senior care, from small residential assisted living homes in Oak Cliff and Pleasant Grove to large purpose-built campuses in North Dallas, Preston Hollow, and Lake Highlands.
Dallas sits in Dallas County. Nearby hospitals include UT Southwestern Medical Center, Baylor University Medical Center, Texas Health Presbyterian Dallas, and Medical City Dallas, which matters for discharge planning and for staying close to a parent's doctors. Families here commonly focus on areas such as Uptown, Lakewood, Preston Hollow, North Dallas, Oak Cliff, Lake Highlands. Because Dallas spans the full metro price range, it is where families have the most room to compare communities on cost and care level.
Texas STAR+PLUS HCBS Medicaid Waiver: what drives the number
The STAR+PLUS program is Texas's main public path to help with long-term-care costs, delivered through the STAR+PLUS Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) waiver. Eligibility has two tracks — an HHSC medical-necessity / level-of-care assessment confirming a nursing-facility level of care, and a financial test — and because it's a waiver rather than an entitlement, there can be a waitlist that prioritizes the most urgent cases. It's delivered through managed-care organizations such as Molina, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, Superior HealthPlan, and Aetna Better Health.
Ways to pay in Dallas
Most families layer several sources rather than relying on one. Private savings and Social Security tend to lead the way, and a long-term-care insurance policy picks up next when the family holds one. Wartime veterans and surviving spouses should check VA Aid & Attendance through the Dallas VA Medical Center. And Texas's STAR+PLUS Medicaid (including the HCBS waiver) can cover care services — though not room and board — for seniors who meet the functional and financial tests, after an HHSC medical-necessity assessment. Because Dallas spans the full metro price range, it is where families have the most room to compare communities on cost and care level.
A free advisor can sort out which of these your family actually qualifies for, and which Dallas-area communities will take them.
How to move forward
A free Dallas Senior Advisor advisor can shortlist options that fit your budget and timeline and set up tours. Reach out online — there's never a fee for families.
