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Senior care rules in your state, in plain language

Every state regulates senior care differently. These are the rules that change decisions.

Quick answer

Indiana licenses assisted living as a Residential Care Facility and requires a written disclosure, not a certification, for memory care.

HomeSenior care rules in your state, in plain language
How Indiana licenses assisted living. Indiana licenses assisted living as a Residential Care Facility (RCF) under 410 IAC 16.2-5 -- one license type, not tiered like Texas's Type A/B. Read the full explanation →

Guides to your state's rules

How Indiana Licenses Assisted Living

Indiana issues a single Residential Care Facility (RCF) license under 410 IAC 16.2-5 -- not tiered by evacuation ability the way Texas tiers Type A/B.

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Memory Care: Disclosure, Not Certification, in Indiana

Indiana requires a written Alzheimer's/Dementia Special Care Disclosure under IC 12-10-5.5 -- there is no separate state memory-care certification to check for.

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How to Verify a Facility's License

The state tools that show license status and inspection history, and why a clean review page means nothing about the regulatory record.

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Medicaid Expansion vs. Long-Term Care Medicaid

Indiana expanded Medicaid via the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP) effective February 1, 2015 -- a different eligibility pathway from long-term-care Medicaid for seniors.

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Indiana's PathWays Waiver, Explained

The PathWays Waiver pays for care services inside a licensed Residential Care Facility -- not room and board, which runs through RCAP instead.

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Indiana's In-Home Medicaid Waiver, Explained

Most Indianapolis-area seniors needing in-home-only services use the same PathWays Waiver, locally case-managed by CICOA.

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Managed Care for Medicare/Medicaid Dual-Eligibles in Indiana

Indiana coordinates long-term services and supports for seniors through managed care under the PathWays for Aging program, launched July 1, 2024.

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The Local Ombudsman and Filing Complaints

Two different systems: the free, independent long-term care ombudsman, and the state health department complaint line. Here is when to use each.

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You can check any facility's record free. Use the Indiana Long Term Care Survey & Inspection Public Search (hoosierusa.isdh.in.gov) and, for nursing homes, CMS Care Compare. Read the full explanation →

Questions families ask

What license does Indiana require for assisted living?

Indiana licenses assisted-living-type communities as Residential Care Facilities (RCF) under 410 IAC 16.2-5 and Indiana Code 16-28-2, issued by the Indiana Department of Health. It is a single license type -- Indiana does not tier assisted living into Type A/Type B categories the way Texas does.

Does Indiana require every assisted living community to be licensed?

No. Under 410 IAC 16.2-5-0.5(c), a community that provides only room, board, housekeeping and activities -- without administering medication or providing nursing care -- is not required to hold a Residential Care Facility license at all. Some buildings marketed as assisted living in Indiana may carry no state license, so always confirm directly.

Does Indiana require a separate license for memory care?

No. Indiana requires a written Alzheimer's and Dementia Special Care Disclosure under Indiana Code 12-10-5.5, not a separate state certification. Communities must file the disclosure and meet training requirements, but there is no distinct 'certified memory care' license to check for.

How do I check a facility's Indiana license and inspection history?

Use the Indiana Long Term Care Survey & Inspection Public Search at hoosierusa.isdh.in.gov, run by the Indiana Department of Health. Nursing homes also carry a federal CMS Care Compare star rating; assisted living (Residential Care Facilities) does not.

What's the difference between Indiana's Residential Care Facility and Comprehensive Care Facility licenses?

A Residential Care Facility (RCF) is Indiana's assisted-living-type license, covering personal care, medication administration and ADL help, not 24-hour skilled nursing. A Comprehensive Care Facility is Indiana's nursing-home license, for residents who need 24-hour licensed nursing care.

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