Subject of Possible Rule Making: WAC 388-71-0876 When must a long-term care worker who was working or hired during the COVID-19 public health emergency complete training, including required specialty training?, 388-71-0992 When must continuing education be completed when public health emergency waivers are lifted, and what continuing education credit is granted to long-term care workers employed during the pandemic?, 388-112A-0081 When must long-term care workers who were working or hired during the COVID-19 public health emergency complete training, including specialty training? and 388-112A-0613 When must continuing education be completed when public health emergency waivers are lifted, and what continuing education credit is granted to long-term care workers employed during the pandemic? These rules will be finalizing training, certification, and continuing education pandemic extensions and setting a date for repeal of those sections. The department of social and health services (DSHS) is considering amending these rules and other related rules as appropriate to make them permanent.

Reasons Why Rules on this Subject may be Needed and What They Might Accomplish: Availability of training and certification for long-term care workers continues to require extension to deadlines due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The extensions are critical for ensuring the ability of long-term care workers to access training, certification, and continuing education. DSHS intends to put current emergency rule deadlines into permanent rule to cover those long-term care workers still affected by training and certification backlogs, and to clarify a final repeal date for all COVID[-19] training rules when no longer required as directed by statute.

Process for Developing New Rule: Collaborative rule making. DSHS welcomes the public to take part in developing the rules. Anyone interested should contact the staff person identified below. At a later date, DSHS will file a proposal with the office of the code reviser with a notice of proposed rule making. A copy of the proposal will be sent to everyone on the mailing list and to anyone who requests a copy.

Interested parties can participate in the decision to adopt the new rule and formulation of the proposed rule before publication by contacting Dave Chappell, Program Manager, Quality Assurance and Policy Training Oversight and Policy Team, P.O. Box 45600, Olympia, WA 98504-5600, phone 360-725-2393, fax 360-438-8633, email david.chappell@dshs.wa.gov.