Tex. Human Resources Code § 48.1521
This is the official text of Tex. Human Resources Code § 48.1521, part of Texas’s Human Resources Code — governs state social services and welfare programs.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
§ 48.1521. INVESTIGATION OF COMPLEX CASES.
Official statutory text
(a) The department shall develop and implement a system to ensure that, to the greatest extent possible, investigations conducted by the department that involve especially complex issues of abuse, neglect, or exploitation, such as issues associated with identity theft and other forms of financial exploitation, are:
(1) assigned to personnel who have experience and training in those issues; and
(2) monitored by a special task unit for complex cases.
(b) Each county with a population of 250,000 or more shall appoint persons to serve as standing members of a special task unit to monitor cases that arise in the county and require monitoring as provided by Subsection (a). The standing members of each special task unit must include:
(1) a provider of mental health services or aging services or a representative of a nonprofit entity serving persons with disabilities;
(2) a representative of a law enforcement agency; and
(3) a legal expert.
(c) In addition to the standing members specified by Subsection (b), the special task unit:
(1) must include, for purposes of monitoring a particular case, the caseworker on the case and the caseworker's supervisor; and
(2) may include a financial forensics expert and any other person with expertise that would be useful in monitoring a particular case.
(d) The department shall develop and make available to each county described by Subsection (b) a manual to assist the county in establishing and operating the special task unit required by this section. The manual must describe:
(1) the purpose and potential benefits of the unit;
(2) a description of the monitoring process the unit is expected to follow and potential problems the unit may encounter;
(3) the composition and administration of the unit; and
(4) the department's criteria for selecting cases to be monitored by the unit.
(e) Before the special task unit makes a recommendation that a guardian be appointed for a person in a case being monitored by the unit, the unit shall thoroughly consider all less-restrictive alternatives for legal intervention in the case.
(1) assigned to personnel who have experience and training in those issues; and
(2) monitored by a special task unit for complex cases.
(b) Each county with a population of 250,000 or more shall appoint persons to serve as standing members of a special task unit to monitor cases that arise in the county and require monitoring as provided by Subsection (a). The standing members of each special task unit must include:
(1) a provider of mental health services or aging services or a representative of a nonprofit entity serving persons with disabilities;
(2) a representative of a law enforcement agency; and
(3) a legal expert.
(c) In addition to the standing members specified by Subsection (b), the special task unit:
(1) must include, for purposes of monitoring a particular case, the caseworker on the case and the caseworker's supervisor; and
(2) may include a financial forensics expert and any other person with expertise that would be useful in monitoring a particular case.
(d) The department shall develop and make available to each county described by Subsection (b) a manual to assist the county in establishing and operating the special task unit required by this section. The manual must describe:
(1) the purpose and potential benefits of the unit;
(2) a description of the monitoring process the unit is expected to follow and potential problems the unit may encounter;
(3) the composition and administration of the unit; and
(4) the department's criteria for selecting cases to be monitored by the unit.
(e) Before the special task unit makes a recommendation that a guardian be appointed for a person in a case being monitored by the unit, the unit shall thoroughly consider all less-restrictive alternatives for legal intervention in the case.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in Texas?
Find a Texas lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.