In Kansas, the license families see for assisted living is "Assisted Living Facility", issued by the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS), Survey, Certification and Credentialing Commission. On or before admission, a licensed nurse, licensed social worker, or the administrator or operator must complete a functional capacity screening on the state's screening form. A facility must give written notice at least 30 days before an involuntary transfer or discharge, except when other residents' safety is endangered or urgent medical needs require an immediate transfer.
Key facts
- The median monthly cost of assisted living in Kansas was $5,975 in CareScout's 2025 Cost of Care Survey, or $71,700 a year, $225 below the national median of $6,200 a month. (CareScout, 2026)
- Kansas's Frail Elderly (FE) Medicaid waiver pays for some, but not all, services delivered in an assisted living or residential health care facility, and the resident pays room and raw food costs. (Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, 2026)
- Each new resident needs a TB symptom screen and a two-step skin test or an IGRA blood test within 7 days of move-in, under KDADS's TB guidelines for adult care homes. (Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, 2013)
- Only licensed nurses and medication aides may administer and manage medications a facility is responsible for, and medication aides may not give medication by injection (the parenteral route), which includes insulin injections. (Kansas Administrative Regulations 26-41-205, 2009)
- Kansas has no separate memory care license, but a facility that admits residents with dementia must train staff on responding to dementia behaviors. (Kansas Administrative Regulations 26-41-103, 2009)
Kansas licenses assisted living facilities (apartments for six or more residents) as one type of adult care home, next to residential health care facilities (individual living units), home plus and boarding care homes, and the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) licenses all of them. The facts below cover assisted living facilities, which follow the same K.A.R. 26-41 rules as residential health care facilities.
Rules change and communities can set stricter policies. Before you sign, confirm the details with the community and the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS), Survey, Certification and Credentialing Commission. This page is general information, not legal advice.
The rules at a glance
| Medical assessment before move-in | On or before admission, a licensed nurse, licensed social worker, or the administrator or operator must complete a functional capacity screening on the state's screening form. A licensed nurse must assess any resident whose screening shows a need for health care services, and the screening is repeated at least every 365 days. [5][1] More on this |
|---|---|
| TB test | Each new resident needs a TB symptom screen and a two-step skin test or an IGRA blood test within 7 days of move-in, under KDADS's TB guidelines for adult care homes. A documented positive test with chest x-rays and a physician's note, or a not-positive two-step test or IGRA in the prior 6 months, avoids retesting. [6][7] More on this |
| Notice before a move-out | A facility must give written notice at least 30 days before an involuntary transfer or discharge, except when other residents' safety is endangered or urgent medical needs require an immediate transfer. The rule's reasons are needs the facility cannot meet, improved health, danger to others' safety or health, nonpayment after reasonable notice, or the facility closing. [8][9] More on this |
| Who may give medications | Only licensed nurses and medication aides may administer and manage medications a facility is responsible for, and medication aides may not give medication by injection (the parenteral route), which includes insulin injections. A resident a licensed nurse finds safe can manage their own medicines, and family or friends may give them without pay. [10] More on this |
| Memory care and dementia | Kansas has no separate memory care license, but a facility that admits residents with dementia must train staff on responding to dementia behaviors. A facility may also run a special care section, which needs a medical care provider's written order for admission and written notice to the resident of its services beforehand. [11][12] |
| Long-term care ombudsman | Kansas's Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program advocates for people in assisted living facilities, residential health care facilities, nursing homes, home plus and board and care homes, and adult day care, and can be reached toll-free at 1-877-662-8362. [13] Official page More on this |
| Medicaid help | Kansas's Frail Elderly (FE) Medicaid waiver pays for some, but not all, services delivered in an assisted living or residential health care facility, and the resident pays room and raw food costs. A person must be 65, meet the Medicaid nursing facility threshold score and be financially eligible, and starts by calling the ADRC at 1-855-200-2372. [14] Official page More on this |
What assisted living costs in Kansas
The median monthly cost of assisted living in Kansas was $5,975 in CareScout's 2025 Cost of Care Survey, or $71,700 a year, $225 below the national median of $6,200 a month. [15]
A median is the middle of the rates communities reported, so many charge more or less. Rates differ between regions and by the care a resident needs, so ask each community for its full fee list in writing. More: assisted living costs in every state, a monthly budget and the costs that aren't in the base rate.
How to check a community in Kansas
KDADS's Adult Care Home Directory and Inspection Report has separate directories for assisted living facilities and residential health care facilities. Each facility must keep its most recent survey report and plan of correction in a public area, and complaints can go to the KDADS hotline at 800-842-0078. Search Kansas's records. [3][4][1]
The licensing agency: Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS), Survey, Certification and Credentialing Commission. [1][2] Our guide on how to read an inspection report explains what to look for.
Put Kansas's paperwork on a date
Parent Move Plan counts every task back from the move-in day, including the medical assessment and TB screening the community will ask for, so nothing lands in the last week.
Get your first 3 days freeFrequently asked questions
How much does assisted living cost in Kansas?
The median monthly cost of assisted living in Kansas was $5,975 in CareScout's 2025 Cost of Care Survey, or $71,700 a year, $225 below the national median of $6,200 a month. A median is the middle of the rates communities reported, so many charge more or less, and rates differ between regions and by the care a resident needs.
What medical assessment does Kansas require before moving into assisted living?
On or before admission, a licensed nurse, licensed social worker, or the administrator or operator must complete a functional capacity screening on the state's screening form. A licensed nurse must assess any resident whose screening shows a need for health care services, and the screening is repeated at least every 365 days.
Does Kansas require a TB test for assisted living?
Each new resident needs a TB symptom screen and a two-step skin test or an IGRA blood test within 7 days of move-in, under KDADS's TB guidelines for adult care homes. A documented positive test with chest x-rays and a physician's note, or a not-positive two-step test or IGRA in the prior 6 months, avoids retesting.
How much notice must an assisted living community in Kansas give before a move-out?
A facility must give written notice at least 30 days before an involuntary transfer or discharge, except when other residents' safety is endangered or urgent medical needs require an immediate transfer. The rule's reasons are needs the facility cannot meet, improved health, danger to others' safety or health, nonpayment after reasonable notice, or the facility closing.
Who can give medications in assisted living in Kansas?
Only licensed nurses and medication aides may administer and manage medications a facility is responsible for, and medication aides may not give medication by injection (the parenteral route), which includes insulin injections. A resident a licensed nurse finds safe can manage their own medicines, and family or friends may give them without pay.
Who can help with a complaint about assisted living in Kansas?
Kansas's Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program advocates for people in assisted living facilities, residential health care facilities, nursing homes, home plus and board and care homes, and adult day care, and can be reached toll-free at 1-877-662-8362.
Does Medicaid pay for assisted living in Kansas?
Kansas's Frail Elderly (FE) Medicaid waiver pays for some, but not all, services delivered in an assisted living or residential health care facility, and the resident pays room and raw food costs. A person must be 65, meet the Medicaid nursing facility threshold score and be financially eligible, and starts by calling the ADRC at 1-855-200-2372.
Sources
- Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services: Adult Care Homes (Survey, Certification & Credentialing) (2026) (checked October 22, 2026)
- Kansas Statutes Annotated 39-923, Definitions, adult care homes (Kansas Office of the Revisor of Statutes), 2026 (checked October 22, 2026)
- Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services: Adult Care Home Directory and Inspection Report (2026) (checked October 22, 2026)
- Kansas Administrative Regulations 26-41-101, Administration (via Cornell LII), effective 2009 (checked October 22, 2026)
- Kansas Administrative Regulations 26-41-201, Resident functional capacity screening (via Cornell LII), effective 2009 (checked October 22, 2026)
- Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services: Tuberculosis (TB) Guidelines for Adult Care Homes (June 2013), 2013 (checked October 22, 2026)
- Kansas Administrative Regulations 26-41-207, Infection control (via Cornell LII), effective 2009 (checked October 22, 2026)
- Kansas Administrative Regulations 26-39-102, Admission, transfer, and discharge rights of residents in adult care homes (via Cornell LII), effective 2009 (checked October 22, 2026)
- Kansas Statutes Annotated 39-936, Statement on admission; limitations on involuntary transfer or discharge (Kansas Office of the Revisor of Statutes), 2026 (checked October 22, 2026)
- Kansas Administrative Regulations 26-41-205, Medication management (via Cornell LII), effective 2009 (checked October 22, 2026)
- Kansas Administrative Regulations 26-41-103, Staff development (via Cornell LII), effective 2009 (checked October 22, 2026)
- Kansas Administrative Regulations 26-41-203, General services, special care (via Cornell LII), effective 2009 (checked October 22, 2026)
- Kansas Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman: About Our Program (2026) (checked October 22, 2026)
- Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services: Frail Elderly (FE) waiver (2026) (checked October 22, 2026)
- CareScout: Cost of Care Survey 2025, Ranked Median Costs by State (2026) (checked October 22, 2026)