Texas Adult Protective Services: How to Report Abuse

Call the Texas Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-5400, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or use the online hotline. Call 911 for a life-threatening emergency. Texas Adult Protective Services (APS), part of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS), investigates abuse, neglect, and exploitation of an elderly person or a person with a disability who lives in the community. Abuse inside a licensed nursing home or assisted living facility follows the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) path in the section below.

Human Resources Code § 48.002 defines an elderly person as a person 65 or older. A person with a disability is a person with a mental, physical, or intellectual or developmental disability that substantially impairs the ability to provide for the person’s care or protection, and who is 18 or older or under 18 with the disabilities of minority removed. Section 48.051 requires a person who has cause to believe that an elderly person or a person with a disability is in a state of abuse, neglect, or exploitation to report immediately.

How to Report Elder Abuse in Texas

The DFPS Report Abuse page lists two public ways to report to the department:

• Call 1-800-252-5400.
• Use the secure Texas Abuse Hotline website.

The hotline is toll-free 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, nationwide. DFPS says a report by phone or on that website gets a response within 24 hours. Call 911 for a life-threatening emergency. DFPS states it cannot accept email reports, including photos, video, or audio files.

Report by Phone

Call 1-800-252-5400 to reach the Texas Abuse Hotline. If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech-disabled, use the relay service you choose, or Relay Texas at 7-1-1, and tell the operator to call 1-800-252-5400.

The DFPS hotlines page lists that number as available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, across the United States. The APS reporting instructions say to use the phone:

• when the situation needs action in less than 24 hours
• when you prefer to remain anonymous
• when you do not have enough information to finish the online report
• when you do not want an email confirming the report

A person who files a report under Chapter 48 is immune from civil or criminal liability unless the person acted in bad faith or with a malicious purpose. Source: Human Resources Code § 48.054.

Report Online

Use the Texas Abuse Hotline website when the situation is not an emergency and does not need action in less than 24 hours. The site says to call 1-800-252-5400 when someone faces an immediate risk of abuse or neglect that could result in death or serious harm. The Report Abuse page says DFPS cannot accept email reports. That page does not list a public fax number for a new report.

Emergency Situations

Call 911 first if an elderly person or a person with a disability is in immediate danger. The Texas Abuse Hotline is the reporting line for a situation that needs action in less than 24 hours. It is not a substitute for 911.

If the person lives in a nursing home or assisted living facility, also contact HHSC Complaint and Incident Intake, described below. For a threat of imminent danger of death or serious bodily harm, HHSC says it must investigate within 24 hours for a long-term care provider.

What Information Should You Have Ready Before You Call?

Human Resources Code § 48.051(d) says the report may be oral or written and shall include:

• the name, age, and address of the elderly person or person with a disability
• the name and address of any person responsible for that person’s care
• the nature and extent of the person’s condition
• the basis of the reporter’s knowledge
• any other relevant information

Having these details ready helps intake locate the adult:

• Full name, age, and current address of the person you are concerned about
• A specific description of the suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation — what happened, when, and where
• The name and relationship of the person you believe is responsible, if you know it
• Information about the person’s physical or mental condition, or about a disability that affects care or protection
• Names of other witnesses, family members, or care providers with relevant information
• Your own contact information, if you choose to give it. An adult APS report can be made without your name. If you do give it, the investigator contacts you when more information would help the person who is the subject of the report.

Cause to believe is the reporting standard. The APS reporting instructions say you do not need to prove that abuse is occurring. APS investigates the concern.

What Types of Elder Abuse Does APS Investigate in Texas?

Under Human Resources Code § 48.002, Texas APS investigates abuse, neglect, and exploitation of an elderly person or a person with a disability. The bullets below are the plain-language categories families use. The legal definitions are in that section.

• Physical abuse — The statute covers the negligent or wilful infliction of injury, unreasonable confinement, or cruel punishment, with resulting physical harm or pain, by a caretaker, family member, or other person with an ongoing relationship
• Emotional harm — Intimidation or cruel punishment that results in emotional harm or pain is part of the statutory definition of abuse, not a separate labeled category
• Sexual abuse — Involuntary or nonconsensual sexual conduct that would be an offense under Penal Code § 21.08 or Chapter 22, committed by a caretaker, family member, or other person with an ongoing relationship
• Financial exploitation — The illegal or improper use, or attempted use, of the person’s resources, including a Social Security number or other identifying information, for monetary or personal benefit, profit, or gain, without informed consent
• Neglect — Failure by a caretaker to provide the goods or services, including medical services, necessary to avoid physical or emotional harm or pain
• Self-neglect — The same neglect definition includes the failure to provide for one’s self the goods or services, including medical services, necessary to avoid physical or emotional harm or pain

What Are the Warning Signs of Elder Abuse?

The DFPS Adult Protective Services page describes signs that include scratches, cuts, bruises, burns, broken bones, bedsores, confinement, and loss of money or property. The signs below are the practical list families use when those concerns show up at home. They are not a complete statutory test.

Physical Signs

• Unexplained bruises, burns, cuts, or injuries — particularly in unusual locations or at various healing stages
• Evidence of improper physical restraint or confinement
• Bedsores, pressure ulcers, or signs of prolonged immobility
• Weight loss, dehydration, or malnutrition without a medical explanation

Behavioral Signs

• Sudden withdrawal from social activities or contact with family and friends
• Fearfulness, hypervigilance, or anxiety around a specific caregiver or individual
• New or unexplained depression, confusion, or behavioral changes
• Reluctance to speak when a caregiver or family member is present

Financial Signs

• Unexplained bank withdrawals, new credit accounts, or changes to financial documents
• Missing personal property, valuables, or checks written to unknown parties
• Unpaid bills or utility shutoffs despite adequate income or assets
• Sudden changes to a will, trust, power of attorney, or beneficiary designations

Who Can (and Must) Report Abuse in Texas?

Texas requires a report from a person who has cause to believe. Human Resources Code § 48.051(a) says a person having cause to believe that an elderly person, a person with a disability, or an individual receiving services from a provider described in Subchapter F is in a state of abuse, neglect, or exploitation shall report immediately to the department. The duty is not limited to health care workers.

Section 48.051(c) says it applies without exception to a person whose knowledge comes from employment, or whose professional communications are generally confidential, including an attorney, clergy member, medical practitioner, social worker, an employee or member of a licensing board, and a mental health professional.

Section 48.051(b) changes where the report goes when the concern is inside a facility. If a person has cause to believe that an elderly person or a person with a disability, other than an individual receiving services from a Subchapter F provider, has been abused, neglected, or exploited in a facility operated, licensed, certified, or registered by a state agency, the report goes to that agency. Section 48.051(b-1) requires an immediate report to HHSC for:

• specified home and community-based providers
• an intermediate care facility licensed under Health and Safety Code Chapter 252
• a state supported living center
• a home and community support services agency licensed under Health and Safety Code Chapter 142

Penalties, Immunity, and Confidentiality

Knowingly failing to report in accordance with Chapter 48 is a Class A misdemeanor under § 48.052. The offense is a state jail felony if the person has an intellectual disability and resided in a state supported living center, the ICF-IID component of the Rio Grande State Center, or a facility licensed under Health and Safety Code Chapter 252, and the actor knew the person had suffered serious bodily injury.

Section 48.052 does not apply when the alleged abuse, neglect, or exploitation occurred in a nursing facility licensed under Health and Safety Code Chapter 242. Failure to report in that setting is governed by Chapter 242.

A good-faith reporter is immune under § 48.054 unless the person acted in bad faith or with a malicious purpose. A person who reports the person’s own abuse, neglect, or exploitation of another person is not immune. The report, the reporter’s identity, and the investigation files are confidential under § 48.101.

What Happens After You Report to APS in Texas?

DFPS says a report to the Abuse Hotline by phone or on the website gets a response within 24 hours. That public statement is not the same thing as the face-to-face visit. Statewide Intake assigns a priority. The APS Handbook then sets how soon the caseworker must see the client in person. The handbook does not give a number of days for finishing the investigation.

Step 1 — Intake Screening

Statewide Intake reviews whether the report is in APS jurisdiction and assigns a priority. The July 2024 Statewide Intake rules use four priorities. The APS Handbook uses the same tiers as Priority I through Priority IV.

• Priority I is an allegation that the client is in serious harm or in danger of death from abuse or neglect, including when the client is in the hospital. Financial exploitation alone cannot be a Priority I.
• Priority II is a risk of serious harm from abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation.
• Priority III is for other reports that allege abuse or neglect and do not meet Priority I or Priority II.
• Priority IV is used when the only allegation is financial exploitation and there is no danger of imminent impoverishment or deprivation of basic needs.

Step 2 — Response Timeline

The APS Handbook says APS initiates the investigation within 24 hours after Statewide Intake receives the allegation, regardless of the priority. Case initiation is the first contact with a person who has current and reliable information about the client. The handbook section on the initial face-to-face contact, revised January 5, 2026, then sets these clocks from the time DFPS receives the report:

• Priority I: face-to-face contact within 24 hours
• Priority II: face-to-face contact within three calendar days
• Priority III: face-to-face contact within seven calendar days
• Priority IV: face-to-face contact within 14 calendar days

A caseworker may change the priority only with current, credible information obtained within the first 24 hours after DFPS receives the report, and before the initial face-to-face contact.

• An allegation of sexual abuse cannot be lowered below Priority II.
• An allegation involving a client in the hospital with serious injuries or at risk of death cannot be lowered from Priority I.
• An allegation of abuse or neglect cannot be lowered to Priority IV.

Step 3 — Investigation

The caseworker sees the client in person, looks at the living situation, and talks with the client and other people who have relevant information.

The investigations chapter says APS keeps investigating allegations of abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation even when the client does not cooperate, so the agency can judge capacity to consent and the client’s safety. When criminal conduct is suspected, APS decides whether law enforcement must be notified. A finding uses a preponderance of the evidence.

Step 4 — Client Service Plan and Outcome

When services are appropriate, APS develops a service plan with the client. Human Resources Code § 48.203 makes those services voluntary: the person may receive them if the person requests or consents, and if the person withdraws or refuses, the services may not be provided, except for an emergency order under § 48.208.

The services chapter says the service plan is reviewed at least every 30 calendar days. That review is not a deadline for finishing the investigation.

An emergency order is available only when the person is suffering abuse, neglect, or exploitation that presents a threat to life or physical safety, the person lacks capacity to consent, and no consent can be obtained. Section 48.208 allows the court to order removal to safer surroundings, medical services, and other services needed to remove that threat.

The order expires at the end of the 10th day after it is rendered, or at the end of the 10th day after removal when the statute’s removal rule applies, unless it ends sooner or the 10th day falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday. In that weekend or holiday case, the order runs until 4 p.m. on the next business day.

After notice and a hearing, the court may extend the order for not more than 30 days, and may grant one more extension of not more than 30 additional days. The court may not grant more than two extensions. Section 48.209 requires a guardianship referral only when its conditions are met, and it requires a less restrictive alternative when one is appropriate and available.

APS vs. Long-Term Care Ombudsman — Who Handles Nursing Home Abuse in Texas?

DFPS APS investigates in the community: the Adult Protective Services page says it investigates when the adult lives in the community. A concern inside a nursing home or assisted living facility is reported to HHSC, the agency that licenses those facilities. Human Resources Code § 48.051(b) sends that facility report to the licensing agency rather than to DFPS, except for an individual receiving services from a Subchapter F provider.

HHSC Complaint and Incident Intake takes complaints about nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

• Call 1-800-458-9858. Agents answer Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central time. Outside those hours, leave a voicemail and an employee returns the call by the next workday.
• The TULIP complaint portal is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and it gives an intake number when the report is submitted.
• You can also email ciicomplaints@hhs.texas.gov.

Effective March 1, 2024, the DFPS Report Abuse page says reports of abuse, neglect, and exploitation in an intermediate care facility for individuals with an intellectual disability or a related condition, including a state supported living center, go to HHSC Complaint and Incident Intake. DFPS does not investigate those reports. Some reports about adults in a state facility, or in a program for people with mental illness or an intellectual disability, still start at the Texas Abuse Hotline and may be investigated by HHSC Provider Investigations rather than by DFPS.

The Texas Long-Term Care Ombudsman advocates for people who live in a nursing facility or an assisted living facility. Call 1-800-252-2412, or email ltc.ombudsman@hhs.texas.gov. Ombudsman services are free, confidential, and available statewide. The ombudsman listens, explains resident rights, and works on problems. The ombudsman is not the agency that investigates the facility.

The APS Handbook tells APS staff to refer an allegation in an HHSC long-term care facility, including a nursing home, to HHSC at 1-800-458-9858 when the allegation is outside APS and occurred in that facility. For the facility complaint steps, use the Texas nursing home complaint guide.

Additional Resources in Texas

• Texas Abuse Hotline: 1-800-252-5400 (24/7) | txabusehotline.org
• HHSC Complaint and Incident Intake, for a nursing home or assisted living facility: 1-800-458-9858, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central time, or the TULIP portal 24/7
• Texas Long-Term Care Ombudsman: 1-800-252-2412
• Texas DFPS Adult Protective Services
• National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311)
• Eldercare Locator (national): 1-800-677-1116
• National Center on Elder Abuse

The Texas nursing home complaint guide explains how to report a problem in a licensed nursing home, including which office takes which kind of complaint. The form on this page is a request to speak with a lawyer. It is not a report to Texas APS or to HHSC.