Budget
Assisted Living Facility Rate Methodology
Increase the assisted living labor component from 81% to 95% and increasing the operations component from 68% to 75%.
Skilled Nursing Facilities
We will advocate for critical structural changes to the nursing home payment system to ensure reimbursement rates align with the rising costs of care. Our efforts will likely focus on advancing legislation to establish annual rebasing in the statute, creating a more stable, predictable, and sustainable funding model for nursing facilities.
Adult Day
Funding to provide a 10% rate increase for both adult day health and day care.
Additionally, we will work to ensure that no cuts are proposed to funding for any of our member settings. While we understand the legislature faces tough decisions around program reductions, we must protect the progress made in recent years. Any cuts would jeopardize our ability to provide an adequate and equitable network of long-term care for our stateās seniors.
Policy
Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) Consumer Protections Legislation
The Washington Continuing Care Resident Association (WaCCRA), a resident advocacy organization, will be introducing legislation this session aimed at increasing consumer protections for residents in CCRCs. This marks the culmination of three years of studies and workgroups, which have led to various recommendations.
The Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), through a stakeholder workgroup convened over the past year, has released a set of recommendations in their report to the legislature, which can be accessed here. However, it remains unclear whether the proposed legislation will align with the DSHS recommendations or expand to include WaCCRA’s longstanding goals.
While LeadingAge Washington had hoped to collaborate with WaCCRA to craft legislation ahead of the session, that partnership did not materialize. Nonetheless, we are committed to engaging in stakeholder meetings with WaCCRA and legislative sponsors once a draft of the legislation becomes available.
Assisted Living Memory Care Certification
Legislation is being drafted that could have substantial implications for assisted living providers. The proposed legislation aims to establish a standardized definition and certification process for memory care within assisted living communities. Specifically, it looks at providers who have memory care units or wings or the entire building is dedicated to memory care.
Key components of the certification process may include:
- Requiring specialized training for staff.
- Ensuring appropriate physical environments and tailored programming for residents with dementia.
- Requiring facilities to disclose regular staffing coverage.
The initial impetus for this bill was to address staffing ratios for memory care units. LeadingAge Washington views this proposed certification process as a reasonable alternative and a step toward enhancing care standards.
We are committed to working in partnership with other stakeholders to refine and clarify the draft legislation to ensure it meets the needs of providers and residents alike.