By Pittsburgh Senior Advisor Care Team · October 22, 2026
Ask for the fee schedule in writing, how care levels are assessed and priced, what triggers the next level, the three-year rate history, deposit and refund terms, what happens if money runs out, and which license your parent's room falls under. Pennsylvania rules require a written contract with actual charges.
Why do fees vary so much between homes?
Pennsylvania lets personal care homes and assisted living residences set their own rates. Most quote a base monthly rate for the room, meals and basic services, then add care-level charges based on an assessment of how much help a resident needs. Two homes with the same base rate can end up hundreds of dollars a month apart once care is added.
The state's contract rules help: an assisted living residence contract must list the actual charge for each service in the resident's core package, and every resident keeps at least the personal needs allowance.
Which questions are about the monthly bill?
Start with these six: What is the base rate for this room? What does it include? How is the care level assessed, by whom and how often? What would my parent's level be today, in writing? What specific change moves a resident to the next level, and what does that level cost? Are medication management, incontinence supplies, escorts or laundry charged separately?
| Ask | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Base rate and what it includes | the starting point for every comparison |
| Current care-level assessment, in writing | the real monthly price |
| Triggers for the next level | how fast the bill can rise |
| A-la-carte charges | medication, supplies and escorts add up |
Which questions are about the future?
Then ask about change over time: How much have rates risen each year for the last three years? How much notice do you give before an increase? (For an assisted living residence, the contract must give at least 30 days written notice of contract changes.) What happens if my parent needs a secured dementia unit later, and is there one here?
Finally, ask what happens if savings run out. Does the home accept residents on SSI and the Pennsylvania personal care home supplement, and can a private-pay resident convert to an SSI bed?
Which questions are about money in and money out?
Ask about the deposit or community fee, whether any of it is refundable and on what schedule, how refunds work after a death or a move, and how much notice the resident must give to leave. In an assisted living residence, the contract runs month to month and a resident may end it with 14 days notice.
Ask whether the home manages residents' funds and, if so, how it accounts for them.
Why ask which license the room is under?
Some campuses hold both a personal care home license and an assisted living residence license, or several licenses for different buildings. The contract rules, staffing rules and discharge protections follow the license. Check the license category on the DHS directory or on our facility pages before you sign.
If the brochure says assisted living, the room should be under a Chapter 2800 license; a Chapter 2600 home may not use the term.
What red flags should you watch for?
Be cautious when a home will not put its care-level fees in writing, cannot say what triggers the next level, quotes a single all-inclusive price that turns out to exclude medications or supplies, or presses for a large non-refundable deposit before you have read the contract. A home that markets assisted living but holds a personal care home license is another warning sign, since only Chapter 2800 residences may use the term.
Also check the DHS directory for a provisional license before discussing money; a home on a provisional certificate should explain what it is correcting.
How do long-term care insurance and VA benefits change the questions?
If your parent has long-term care insurance, ask the insurer whether a Pennsylvania personal care home qualifies under the policy, since some policies name assisted living specifically, and ask the home whether it will complete the insurer's paperwork. For a veteran or surviving spouse, ask whether the home will provide the cost statements the VA needs to count care costs against income for Aid and Attendance.
Both can add meaningful monthly income, but only if the paperwork is done right.
How do you compare the answers?
Put each home's answers in a simple grid: base rate, care-level cost today, likely cost in a year, deposit, and SSI policy. Then set that against Pennsylvania's 2025 CareScout assisted living median of $6,352 a month, remembering it is a statewide median and not a Pittsburgh price.
An advisor can collect these answers from several homes for you at no charge.
A quoted base rate: what it is and is not
| It is | It is not | |
|---|---|---|
| Covers | room, meals and basic services | every care need |
| Changes | with assessed care level | fixed for the length of stay |
| Increase notice | 30 days written notice in an ALR | at the home's whim |
| Comparison point | PA assisted living median $6,352/month (CareScout 2025) | a Pittsburgh average |
Frequently asked questions
Do Pennsylvania personal care homes have to put fees in writing?
Yes. Residents sign a written contract, and an assisted living residence contract must list the actual charges for services in the core package.
How much notice is required for a rate increase?
For an assisted living residence, at least 30 days written notice before the contract changes.
Can a home charge an SSI resident more than SSI pays?
Homes that accept SSI residents generally take the SSI and supplement total as the rate; ask for the policy in writing and contact the ombudsman with concerns.
Is there an average personal care home price for Pittsburgh?
No primary source publishes one; Pennsylvania's CareScout assisted living median is $6,352 a month statewide.
