| VETO MESSAGE ON SSB 6807 |
| March 28, 2008 |
| To the Honorable President and Members, |
| The Senate of the State of Washington |
| Ladies and Gentlemen: |
| I am returning, without my approval as to Section 2, Substitute Senate Bill 6807 entitled: |
"AN ACT Relating to discharge of long-term care residents." |
| Substitute Senate Bill 6807 prohibits a boarding home from transferring or discharging a current resident on the basis that it is voluntarily withdrawing from the Medicaid program. |
| Section 2 requires all long-term care facilities to disclose in writing to any potential resident prior to admission the facility policy on accepting Medicaid as a payment source. Upon admission, the disclosure will be considered a legally binding contract between the resident and the facility. |
| I am concerned that this section is impossible to implement retroactively, and there is no recourse for those who would be in violation of this bill the moment it becomes effective. In addition, Washington's administrative code already requires the disclosure contemplated in Section 2. |
| For these reasons, I have vetoed Section 2 of Substitute Senate Bill 6807. |
| With the exception of Section 2, Substitute Senate Bill 6807 is approved. |
| Respectfully submitted, |
| Christine Gregoire |
| Governor |