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How do I report suspected elder abuse in Texas?

Call the Texas Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-5400, available 24 hours a day, if action is needed within 24 hours. Non-urgent reports can be filed at txab

Quick answer

Call the Texas Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-5400, available 24 hours a day, if action is needed within 24 hours. Non-urgent reports can be filed at txabusehotline.org. If someone faces immediate risk of death or serious harm, call 911. Reports are confidential and may be anonymous.

HomeQuestionsHow do I report suspected elder abuse in Texas?
Answer

Call the Texas Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-5400, available 24 hours a day, if action is needed within 24 hours. Non-urgent reports can be filed at txabusehotline.org. If someone faces immediate risk of death or serious harm, call 911. Reports are confidential and may be anonymous.

What this means in practice

Texas splits reporting by where the person lives, not by what happened, and this is the single most common source of lost time. Adult Protective Services covers adults in the community. Anything inside a licensed facility goes to HHSC instead.

Use the phone line rather than the web form when the situation needs attention within a day. The online report carries a longer response window by design and requires creating an account, which is not what you want at 11 p.m.

You do not need proof, and you are not required to be certain. Suspicion is the standard. Reports may be made anonymously, and mandatory reporting law in Texas applies broadly to anyone who suspects abuse of an older adult.

Related questions

Questions Austin families ask

How do I report suspected elder abuse in Texas?

Call the Texas Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-5400, available 24 hours a day, if action is needed within 24 hours. Non-urgent reports can be filed at txabusehotline.org. If someone faces immediate risk of death or serious harm, call 911. Reports are confidential and may be anonymous.

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