Brief Description: Providing grants to community colleges for long-term care worker training.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Senators Kilmer, Carrell, Hobbs, Shin, Roach, Kohl-Welles, Marr, McAuliffe, Rasmussen and Benton).

Senate Committee on Higher Education
Senate Committee on Ways & Means
House Committee on Higher Education
House Committee on Capital Budget

Background: The Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) contracts with agency and individual home care workers (individual providers) to provide in-home long-term care services for elderly and disabled clients who are eligible for publicly funded services through the DSHS's Aging and Adult Services and Developmental Disabilities programs. Home care workers provide consumers with personal care assistance with various tasks. Individual providers have collective bargaining rights under the Public Employees' Collective Bargaining Act.

The Secretary of DSHS, with the aid of a steering committee, currently develops training material and curricula for individual providers. Nine Washington counties have populations of over 200,000 and there are 21 community and technical colleges within those counties that currently offer programs in health professions.

Summary: To the extent funds are provided, the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC), in consultation with the bargaining representative of the individual providers, must allocate competitive grants to up to four community college pilot sites for the delivery of training and workforce development for long-term care workers. To be eligible, community colleges must be located in a county with a population of 200,000 or more, with priority given to colleges with existing allied health care programs and demonstrated commitments to the pilots by community partners. Funds can be used to renovate or expand current facilities, acquire land and facilities, or accommodate programs that provide long-term care settings.

The SBCTC must file a report with the appropriate legislative committees regarding the results of the pilot program by December 1, 2014. The pilot program expires on July 1, 2015.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate      48   0
House      94   0   (House amended)
Senate      47   0   (Senate concurred)