Washington State House of Representatives Office of Program Research | BILL ANALYSIS |
Health Care & Wellness Committee |
HB 1322
This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent. |
Brief Description: Reducing training requirements for developmental disability respite providers working three hundred hours or less in any calendar year.
Sponsors: Representatives Kilduff, Harris, Kagi, Senn, Cody, Short, McDonald, Caldier, Dent, Tharinger, Dye, Robinson, Lovick, Appleton, Goodman, Fey, Hudgins, Sawyer, Muri, Jinkins, McBride and Doglio.
Brief Summary of Bill |
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Hearing Date: 2/8/17
Staff: Alexa Silver (786-7190).
Background:
Long-term care workers provide paid, personal care assistance to individuals with developmental disabilities or other long-term care needs. The term includes individual providers of home care services. It excludes people who are not paid by the state or any private agency or facility licensed by the state to provide personal care services.
The minimum training requirement for long-term care workers is 75 hours of entry-level training approved by the Department of Social and Health Services (Department). Several categories of individual providers are subject to different training requirements. For example:
A biological, step, or adoptive parent who is the individual provider only for his or her developmentally disabled son or daughter must receive 12 hours of training relevant to the needs of adults with developmental disabilities within 120 days of becoming an individual provider.
The following types of individual providers must complete 35 hours of training within 120 days of becoming an individual provider: (1) an individual provider caring for his or her biological, step, or adoptive child or parent; (2) a person working as an individual provider who provides 20 hours or less of care for one person in a month; and (3) a person working as an individual provider who only provides respite services and works less than 300 hours in a year.
Only training curriculum approved by the Department may be used to fulfill these requirements. The Department may only approve curriculum that has been developed with input from consumer and worker representatives and that requires comprehensive instruction by qualified instructors.
For individual providers represented by an exclusive bargaining representative, all required training must be provided by a training partnership designated by the exclusive bargaining representative. The training partnership must provide reports to verify that all individual providers have complied with all training requirements.
Summary of Bill:
A person working as an individual provider who provides respite care services only for individuals with developmental disabilities and who works 300 hours or less in a year must complete 14 hours (rather than 35 hours) of training within 120 days of becoming an individual provider. Before becoming eligible to provide care, the individual provider must complete five training hours, including three hours of safety training and two hours of orientation training regarding the caregiving role and terms of employment. The training partnership must offer at least 12 of the 14 hours online, and five of the online training hours must be individually selected from elective courses.
The 35-hour training standard for an individual provider who only provides respite services and works less than 300 hours in a year is removed.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.