{"id":13504,"date":"2026-11-06T09:04:15","date_gmt":"2026-11-06T15:04:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/blog\/?p=13504"},"modified":"2026-11-09T11:22:17","modified_gmt":"2026-11-09T17:22:17","slug":"unlicensed-personal-care-homes-what-texas-families-should-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hammerle.com\/blog\/unlicensed-personal-care-homes-what-texas-families-should-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Unlicensed Personal Care Homes: What Texas Families Should Know"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is a loophole in Texas law regarding assisted living facilities, and families should know about it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What Texas Law Requires of Assisted Living Facilities<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Assisted living facilities provide assistance with ADLs, or activities of daily living such as eating, bathing, dressing, and continence. They are intended for people who do not need intensive medical and <\/span>nursing care<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Importantly, assisted living facilities have mandatory licensing requirements if they have four or more residents who are unrelated to the proprietor, and they furnish personal care services.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In contrast, small facilities, even if they provide heavy personal care, do not have licensing requirements if they have less than four residents.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Risks of Unlicensed Personal Care Homes<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Texas has thousands of these small facilities, known as personal care homes, that provide care without government oversight or regulations. Most residents of a personal care home are there because they lack sufficient money to pay for a regulated facility, and their need does not rise to the \u201cmedical necessity\u201d required to qualify for <\/span>Medicaid<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some of these unregulated facilities are well-managed. Others are a hotbed of <\/span>abuse<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>exploitation<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A Real-Life Situation in Texas<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Such are the allegations against Regla Becquer and her \u201cLove and Caring for People, LLC,\u201d which operated multiple unlicensed personal care homes located in Arlington, Mansfield, and Grand Prairie, Texas.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In October 2026, Becquer pleaded guilty to charges that included financial abuse of the elderly, abandoning or endangering an individual, and criminally negligent homicide. She was sentenced to prison.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While investigating the homes on multiple allegations of abuse, neglect, theft, and fraud, the Arlington Police Department became aware of a \u201cconcerning\u201d number of clients who died after staying in at least one of the homes. Becquer allegedly moved patients from home to home to evade detection and often prevented them from contacting their families.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A December 2022 report by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission found that residents of unlicensed homes are vulnerable to financial exploitation and can live in unsafe or unsanitary living conditions. While the state does not regulate such homes, a county or municipality can require a person to obtain a permit. Most do not have such a requirement.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What Rights Do Residents of Licensed Facilities Have?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

To get an idea of the patient safeguards guaranteed to residents of a licensed assisted living facility, but not to residents in a personal care home, you need look no further than the Resident\u2019s Bill of Rights. It guarantees that each resident of the assisted living facility has the following rights:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n