11 Assisted Living Communities in Carrollton, Texas

The average cost of assisted living in the city is $4,350 a month. This guide is a starting point covering the cost of assisted living care in the city, as well as financing options to pay for it. You’ll find in-depth information on 11 Assisted Living Communities in Carrollton and several in surrounding areas. The Cost of Senior Care in Carrollton, TX

• Assisted Living: $4,350
• Nursing Home Care: $5,064
• In-home Care: $4,004
• Adult Day Health Services: $1,408

Genworth’s 2018 Cost of Care study tracks senior care costs nationwide. According to the study, the average monthly cost of assisted living in Carrollton is $4,350, higher than the state ($3,795) and national ($4,000) averages.

Assisted living prices are also lower in nearby areas such as Tyler ($3,800), Waco ($3,695) and Wichita Falls ($3,312). Statewide, assisted living costs range from $2,250 per month in El Paso along the western border of Texa up to a high of $5,190 per month in Austin, which is close to Houston and San Antonio. 

Note: Senior care cost data wasn’t available for Carrollton, so data for the closest city, Dallas, was used. 

In Carrollton, semiprivate nursing home care is the most expensive type of senior care, costing an average of $5,064 per month. Services include around-the-clock nursing care in a state-licensed facility, meals and recreational programming.  Assisted living costs $346 more per month than a homemaker service; however, like nursing home care, assisted living includes rent, utilities, home maintenance and meals. By comparison, seniors who choose to stay in their own homes must pay for the care they need in addition to ongoing daily living expenses, which can make in-home care much more costly than assisted living. 

 

Established in1965 by the federal government, Medicaid provides limited health coverage to low-income people who have few assets. Medicaid is administered at the state level, and plans must include certain mandatory benefits such as inpatient and outpatient hospital care, nursing facility care and basic diagnostic tests. Optional services may be made available through state-specific waivers and programs. 

The Department of Health and Human Services manages the Texas Medicaid program, and managed care organizations provide most Medicaid services. To be eligible for long-term coverage with access to home and community-based services for assisted living residents, seniors 65 and older can earn up to $2,313 per month ($4,626 per couple) and own up to $2,000 in assets ($3,000 per couple). 

Some assets aren’t counted toward the Medicaid asset limit, including an owner-occupied home worth up to $585,000, prepaid burial contracts and personal effects. 

Texas Medicaid applicants must also be permanent residents of the state, have either U.S. citizenship or qualifying immigration status and need 30 or more days of continuous care in a nursing facility as assessed by a physician. 

Spousal Income and Asset Rules

If only one spouse in a married couple needs long-term Medicaid services, special income and asset rules are in place to prevent impoverishment of the non-applicant (community) spouse. The community spouse isn’t expected to pay for the care of the applicant spouse; therefore, the income of the community spouse isn’t considered when determining Medicaid eligibility.

Under the minimum monthly maintenance needs allowance clause, the non-applicant may collect up to $3,160.50 per month in income transferred from the applicant to cover living expenses such as rent and utilities. The non-applicant spouse can also keep the lesser of 50% of the couple’s joint assets or $126,420 under the community spouse resource allowance clause. 

Income Cap and Qualified Income Trust

As a Medicaid income-cap state, Texas doesn’t have a Medicaid spend-down (also known as medically needy) program for seniors with incomes that exceed the $2,313 per month income cap.  

Texas does permit the use of a Qualified Income Trust, also known as a Miller Trust, to reduce an applicant’s income to achieve Medicaid eligibility. A QIT is a non-revocable legal agreement that allows seniors to redirect their excess income into a trust that names the State as the beneficiary. Only income (not assets) can be diverted to the QIT, and money in the trust can be used for specific, preapproved medical expenses. 

Upon death, the State receives any funds remaining in the QIT up to the amount paid for Medicaid services by the State on behalf of the trustee. 

STAR+PLUS Medicaid Managed Care Program

Seniors with Medicaid coverage who require the level of long-term care normally offered in a nursing home may be eligible for STAR+PLUS, a Texas Medicaid managed care nursing-home diversion program. 

STAR+PLUS funds home and community-based services for seniors 65 and older to delay or prevent institutionalization of medically fragile Medicaid participants. Services are assigned according to medical need as determined by a plan of care developed by participants, their family and designated health-care providers. 

Services that may be delivered to STAR+PLUS participants who reside in an assisted living setting include skilled and intermittent nursing, medical supplies and adaptive aids, respite and personal care, and rehab therapy. 

STAR+PLUS enrollment is also open to seniors currently residing in a nursing facility who want to move to an assisted living setting. 

Carrollton residents who reside in Denton County receive STAR+PLUS services through either Amerigroup or Cigna-HealthSpring. The managed care providers in Dallas and Collin counties are Molina and Superior. 

For more information on Medicaid, QITs and the STAR+PLUS program, contact the nearest Health and Human Services Commission office by calling (888) 337-6377. 

VA Aid and Attendance Benefits and Housebound Allowance

The VA offers two pension top-up programs for veterans and survivors who are eligible for the regular VA pension and have a permanent disability or chronic illness not related to military service. 

To qualify for VA Aid and Attendance Benefits, applicants must:

• Have corrected vision tested at 5/200 or worse, or

• Suffer from concentric contraction which limits the visual field to 5 degrees or less, or

• Live in a nursing home due to loss of physical or cognitive functioning, or 

• Need help from a caregiver daily to perform self-care such as bathing, eating, grooming, managing a prosthetic device or elimination, or

• Be restricted to bed due to a disability or chronic illness

To qualify for the VA Housebound Allowance, applicants must have a permanent disability that limits their ability to leave their home, which may be an assisted living facility. 

Note: VA Aid and Attendance benefits and the Housebound allowance aren’t included as income when determining Medicaid eligibility. 

For assistance with the application process, contact the local County Veterans Services Office. 

Assisted Living Bridge Loan

Seniors who have a high credit score and need money to finance a move into an assisted living community may be eligible for an assisted living bridge loan through Elderlife Financial. This type of loan gives seniors access to the cash they need while waiting for their home to sell or for benefits to begin so they can pay their assisted living costs. 

Available in terms of up to 12 months with interest-only monthly payments, loan approval is based on the credit score of the applicant. Up to six people can be listed on the loan application, and the balance can be paid off at any time without penalty. 

For more information, contact Elderlife Financial Services at (888) 228-4500. 

The City of Carrollton operates a large lakefront community center for seniors 50 and older. Open Monday to Saturday, the facility includes a spacious dance hall, fully-equipped fitness center, games rooms and extensive barrier-free trails. Daily activities include yoga and tai chi classes, organized card games, chair volleyball and painting groups. There are also regular blood sugar and blood pressure screening clinics, educational workshops and a free monthly notary service. 

City of Carrollton Senior Center
1720 Keller Springs Rd., Carrollton, TX 75006
(972) 446-4850

Outpatient VA health services are available at the Plano VA Clinic, part of the VA North Texas Health Care System headquartered in nearby Dallas.

Veterans and survivors can contact the Veterans Services Office in their county for help with VA benefits claims and appeals such as the VA Aid and Attendance and Housebound programs. 

Plano VA Clinic
3804 W. 15th St., Plano, TX 75075
(972) 801-4200

Dallas County Veterans Services
2377 N. Stemmons Fwy., Suite 631, Dallas, TX 75207-2710
(972) 692-4939

Denton County Veterans Services
1505 E. McKinney St., Suite 151, Denton, TX 76209-4525
(940) 349-2950

Collin County Veteran Services
900 E. Park Blvd., Plano, TX 75074
(972) 881-3060

Senior Homes has an extensive directory of senior living options, with care and living providers across the United States.