Call Texas HHSC Complaint and Incident Intake at 1-800-458-9858, weekdays 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. That line covers nursing homes, assisted living, home health, and hospice. You can also contact the Capital Area ombudsman at 512-916-6054 for free, confidential advocacy.
What this means in practice
The number depends on the setting, and calling the wrong one costs days. HHSC Complaint and Incident Intake handles licensed facilities — nursing homes, assisted living, home health, hospice. It is staffed weekdays and it triages by severity.
Run the ombudsman in parallel rather than instead. A complaint to HHSC may trigger an investigation; an ombudsman can often resolve a problem in a week without one, and can attend a care conference with you. Both are free, and using one does not preclude the other.
Write down what you observed with dates and times before you call. Specific, dated observations move faster than general concern, and you will be asked for them.
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