2026 Legislative Priorities
Washington is entering the 2026 legislative session facing yet another significant state budget shortfall, and lawmakers will be forced to make difficult decisions about funding priorities. In this environment, it is more important than ever to protect the essential services that older adults rely on every day.
Long-term care providers are experiencing intense financial pressure driven by inflation, rising labor costs, workforce shortages, new taxes, and rising operational expenses. While we recognize the tough choices ahead, cuts to long-term care would further destabilize an already strained system, risking facility closures and reducing access to Medicaid-funded care. The result would leave Washington’s low-income seniors with fewer choices and diminished access to high-quality care.
Budget Priorities
Maintain Rebasing & Medicaid Rate Stability
LeadingAge Washington will advocate to:
- Maintain rebasing, even in a tight budget, so Medicaid rates come closer to reflecting the true cost of care.
- Prevent funding freezes or reductions that widen the gap between reimbursement and actual operating costs.
Maintaining rebasing is essential to sustaining access to skilled nursing and assisted living care across the state.
Keep Community-Based Care Viable: Adult Day Program Rates
Adult Day Health (ADH) and Adult Day Care (ADC) programs are vital supports that help older adults remain independent and safely at home. We are asking the Legislature to:
- Increase Medicaid rates for adult day programs by 10% to stabilize remaining centers and prevent additional closures.
- Recognize Adult Day programs as a cost-effective alternative to nursing home placement and avoidable hospitalizations.
A modest rate increase will strengthen sustainability for these essential community programs and protect an important part of Washington’s care continuum.
Policy Priorities
Modernize Nurse Delegation Statutes
LeadingAge Washington supports the Washington State Board of Nursing’s request legislation to update nurse delegation laws to improve flexibility, reduce barriers, and ensure delegation keeps pace with current care needs.
Current law is overly prescriptive, defining specific tasks and settings in statute and limiting nurses’ ability to use professional judgment in community-based and long-term care settings. Modernizing the law will:
- Provide clearer, more flexible oversight.
- Allow rulemaking to define operational details.
- Permit the use of EpiPens in assisted living and other community-based settings
These changes will strengthen care delivery and reduce outdated regulatory constraints.
Protect CCRCs from Operationally Burdensome Legislation
Washington’s Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) provide a mission-driven model of aging in place and long-term stability for residents. Recent legislative proposals have risked imposing new regulatory and financial burdens on communities.
LeadingAge Washington supports balanced solutions that honor resident protections while allowing CCRCs to remain financially stable and resilient, positioning CCRCs to grow to meet the needs of Washington’s aging population. We will:
- Oppose unnecessary or duplicative oversight that imposes unfunded mandates.
- Ensure CCRCs can continue offering flexible, financially stable aging-in-place options without undue administrative burden.
- Support data-informed consumer protections that enhance—rather than hinder—services and innovation.
LeadingAge Washington is dedicated to ensuring policymakers understand the realities facing long-term care providers—and the people they serve. Together, our members amplify a strong, unified voice for quality, access, and sustainability across our state.
