HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 1849

BYRepresentatives Cantwell, Brooks, Braddock, Silver, Bristow, Grant, Sayan, Day, Dellwo, Lewis, Winsley, Fuhrman, Moyer, Doty, D. Sommers, Brekke and Brough

Revising the office of the state long-term care ombudsman.

House Committe on Health Care

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  (10)

      Signed by Representatives Braddock, Chair; Day, Vice Chair; Bristow, Brooks, Bumgarner, Cantwell, Lewis, Lux, Sprenkle and Vekich.

House Staff:Antonio Sanchez (786-7383)

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON HEALTH CARE JANUARY 27, 1988

BACKGROUND:

The state long-term care ombudsman program, established under the federal Older Americans Act, is currently administered by the department of social and health services.  The secretary of that department is given the authority to place the office in an area, within that department, that will allow it to be independent and to facilitate the ombudsman duties, as proscribed under the Older Americans Act.  The continued controversy surrounding the state ombudsman office has brought into question the ability of this office to conduct its duties effectively.

SUMMARY:

SUBSTITUTE BILL:  Instituting options outlined in the Older Americans Act, this bill amends RCW. 43.190.030 and transfers the program of the Long-term Care Ombudsman out of the Department of Social and Health Services and the state government, and places it in an autonomous entity that will conduct the duties of the state long-term care ombudsman by contract.  The Office of Financial Management will act as the administrator for the contracted program.  The transfer and placement of the State Long-term care program into an independently contracted autonomous office will become effective July 1, 1989.

Prior to the transfer of the program, a survey and analysis will be conducted.  The survey will identify the operational and administrative components necessary for a successful contracted program. The survey must be submitted to the governor and the legislature by December 30th, 1988.

SUBSTITUTE BILL COMPARED TO ORIGINAL:  The survey and analysis are given more direction by mandating that the results of the survey be used for determining the best way select and develop the new long-term care ombudsman contracted services.

Fiscal Note:      Requested January 26, 1988.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Jerry McLaughlin, Legislative Budget Committee; Bert Hoff, Legislative Budget Committee; Frank Winslow, Alzheimer's Society of Washington; Warren Easterly; Ruth Heinemann, Washington State Council for Senior Citizens; William Holman, Washington State Nursing Home Family Council; Lori Swanger, Washington State Nursing Home Family Council; Elizabeth Springer, Coalition for Association of Retired Persons, Washington State Family Nursing Home Council; Jeanne Moeller, Seattle-King County Citizen's Council; Norm DeShaw, Advocacy Committee, Senior Services of Washington.

House Committee - Testified Against:      Jane Boyajia, Ombudsman, DSHS; Gary Moore, Washington Federation of State Employees.

House Committee - Testimony For:    The continued controversial placement of the state long-term care ombudsman in the Department of Social and Health Services is eliminated.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      Dismantling an existing office and transferring it to a new environment outside of the state is a new concept.  The ramifications of this type of transfer are unknown.