How Indiana licenses 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.
The RCF license covers room and board, supervised activities, medication administration by qualified staff, and help with daily activities such as bathing, dressing and mobility. It does not permit 24-hour skilled nursing care — that requires a separate, more intensive license, Comprehensive Care Facility, which covers Indiana's nursing homes.
What the RCF license does and does not allow
An RCF may provide room and board, supervised activities, medication administration, and help with daily activities. It may not provide 24-hour skilled nursing care -- a resident whose needs exceed that threshold typically needs to move to a Comprehensive Care Facility (Indiana's nursing-home license) instead. Ask any community directly what triggers that conversation and what the process looks like.
Administrator requirements
Indiana Code 16-28-2-11.3 sets qualification requirements for RCF administrators. Ask a community who its licensed administrator is and how long they have held that role -- turnover in this position often tracks with broader operational instability.
