BILL REQ. #: S-1234.1
| State of Washington | 59th Legislature | 2005 Regular Session |
Read first time 02/04/2005. Referred to Committee on Health & Long-Term Care.
AN ACT Relating to the personal needs allowance for nursing facility residents; adding a new section to chapter 74.09 RCW; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 (1) The legislature finds that the quality
of life and the dignity of individuals to maintain as much personal
autonomy as possible, during the time that they are residents of
nursing facilities, require that they retain for their own use a
personal needs allowance which may be used to purchase clothing and
other personal items.
(2) It is the intent of the legislature to establish a minimum
level for the personal needs allowance and to allow the department of
social and health services, by rule, to adjust this amount in the
future to reflect the increasing costs of these personal expenditures.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 A new section is added to chapter 74.09 RCW
to read as follows:
The personal needs allowance for residents of nursing facilities
shall be an amount not less than fifty-eight dollars and eighty-four
cents per month, but not more than the maximum amount allowed under the
federal social security act. The department, by rule, may from time to
time increase this amount within funds made available by the
legislature for this purpose.