S-4031.1  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 6493

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      55th Legislature     1998 Regular Session

By Senators Wood, Wojahn, Fairley, Thibaudeau, Benton, Strannigan, Franklin, Deccio, Bauer, Winsley and Kohl

Read first time 01/20/98.  Referred to Committee on Health & Long‑Term Care.

Regulating in-home care providers and workers.

    AN ACT Relating to in-home care providers and workers; adding a new sections to chapter 74.39A RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  The legislature finds that the recent trend in long-term care is to provide a more complex level of direct in-home care and support to a greater number of high acuity clients.  The legislature further finds that the thousands of in-home care assistants who provide these needed long-term care services do so with wages that  often places them at or below the level of poverty and often without paid sick leave, vacation, holiday leave, or retirement.

    It is the intent of the legislature to increase wages and benefit levels for home care assistants.  Furthermore, it is the intent of the legislature to improve the safety, health, and well-being of persons receiving in-home care by recognizing the cost and oversight necessary for higher level acuity clients.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 74.39A RCW to read as follows:

    The wages for all in-home care assistants of home care agencies providing in-home care for state supported clients in chore services, medicaid personal care services, respite services, or community options programs entry system services shall be increased to eight dollars and fifty cents an hour with appropriate annual cost of living adjustments as determined by the office of financial management, by rule.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.  A new section is added to chapter 74.39A RCW to read as follows:

    The department shall develop and implement, by rule, a reimbursement scale for agencies providing in-home services that recognizes the acuity level of the in-home care clients and the requisite supervision and training necessary to insure the quality of care and safety of the client.

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