Sponsors: By Senate Committee on Health & Long-Term Care (originally sponsored by Senators Parlette, Jacobsen, Winsley, Brandland, Rasmussen, Esser, Reardon, Honeyford, T. Sheldon, Hargrove, Haugen, Doumit, Zarelli, Stevens, Deccio, Keiser, Mulliken and Shin).

Brief Summary of Substitute Bill

(As Amended by House)

• A boarding home license is not needed when services are initiated and arranged by persons other than the facility owner.

• Boarding homes may seek third party reimbursement for beds held over 20 days for a patient receiving care outside the facility.

Majority Report: Do pass as amended. Signed by 13 members: Representatives Cody, Chair; Morrell, Vice Chair; Pflug, Ranking Minority Member; Bailey, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Alexander, Benson, Campbell, Clibborn, Darneille, Edwards, Moeller, Schual-Berke and Skinner.

In early 2001 the Department of Social and Health Services (Department) began a two-year process of rewriting the rules that regulate boarding homes in this state. The process involved stakeholders' meetings held around the state, and the goal was to make rules more appropriate to the types of people who live in boarding homes and relevant to current practices.

The new rules are scheduled for adoption in April 2003. They change many elements of existing WAC, including, among other things, adding requirements related to assessments, negotiated care plans, minimum levels of service, staff training, qualifications for administrators, disaster preparedness, infection control practices, criminal background checks, and medication administration.

Boarding home advocates say the cost of implementing these new rules will be prohibitively expensive.

Boarding homes are currently prohibited from seeking third party reimbursement for beds held for residents seeking care in nursing homes or hospitals.

Boarding homes are not housing or services customarily provided under the landlord tenant agreements. A boarding home license is not needed when services in the facility are initiated and arranged by persons other than the boarding home licensee, and where emergency assistance is not provided frequently or on a routine basis.

Domiciliary care is defined as assistance with daily activities, general responsibility for the safety and well-being of the residents, or intermittent nursing services.

The Department reports to the Legislature on the results of the dementia care pilot program.

Within available funds, the Department may pilot an informal centralized dispute resolution process for two years.

The reimbursement policy for boarding homes that hold beds for residents is changed to permit third-party reimbursement after the resident has been absent from the facility for more than 20 days.

Effective Date of Amended Bill: The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect immediately.

Testimony For: This legislation will reduce administrative burdens on boarding homes without jeopardizing client safety.

Testified: Senator Parlette, prime sponsor; Pat Lashway, Department of Social and Health Services; Deb Murphy, Washington Health Care Association; and Lauri St. Ours, Northwest Assisted Living Facilities Association.