Subject of Possible Rule Making: The department of social and health services (DSHS) is considering amending sections of chapter 388-71 WAC, Home and community services and programs, chapter 388-112A WAC, Residential long-term care services training, and chapter 388-115 WAC, Consumer directed employer, in response and in compliance to E2SHB 1694 (chapter 424, Laws of 2023) passed during the 2023 legislative session. The changes included the definition of "date of hire," clarification on when the date of hire may be reset, additional family relationships related to long-term care worker training and continuing education requirements, and other related rules as needed. Additional changes related to numerical representation, consistency, and inclusive language are also being considered.

Reasons Why Rules on this Subject may be Needed and What They Might Accomplish: The changes to the law related to training and continuing education affect all long-term care workers, but specifically those that fall into newly added familial relationships. The department is also taking this opportunity to make necessary changes related to numerical representation, consistency about the consumer direct employer relationship to individual providers, and inclusive language.

Process for Developing New Rule: Collaborative. 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 David Chappell, P.O. Box 45600, Olympia, WA 98504-5600, phone 360-725-2516, TTY 1-800-833-6388, email david.chappell@dshs.wa.gov.