Effective Date of Rule: February 24, 2013.

     Purpose: The department is amending and clarifying rules to revise the assessment process for allocating personal care hours as a result of the Washington state supreme court decision in Samantha A. v. Department of Social and Health Services. The department is in the process of adopting these rules as permanent rules. Authorization for additional personal care hours for clients who have off-site laundry and/or are living more than forty-five minutes from essential services is reinstated.

     Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 388-106-0010 and 388-106-0130.

     Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 74.08.090, 74.09.520.

     Under RCW 34.05.350 the agency for good cause finds that immediate adoption, amendment, or repeal of a rule is necessary for the preservation of the public health, safety, or general welfare, and that observing the time requirements of notice and opportunity to comment upon adoption of a permanent rule would be contrary to the public interest; that state or federal law or federal rule or a federal deadline for state receipt of federal funds requires immediate adoption of a rule; and that in order to implement the requirements or reductions in appropriations enacted in any budget for fiscal year 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 or 2013, which necessitates the need for the immediate adoption, amendment, or repeal of a rule, and that observing the time requirements of notice and opportunity to comment upon adoption of a permanent rule would be contrary to the fiscal needs or requirements of the agency.

     Reasons for this Finding: The department is proceeding with the permanent rule process. The department filed a CR-101 as WSR 12-20-076 on October 3, 2012, and is continuing to work with internal stakeholders to clarify the language. This emergency reflects some of that language.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 2, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

     Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0;      Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 2, Repealed 0.

     Date Adopted: February 21, 2013.

Katherine I. Vasquez

Rules Coordinator

     Reviser's note: The material contained in this filing exceeded the page-count limitations of WAC 1-21-040 for appearance in this issue of the Register. It will appear in the 13-07 issue of the Register.