Passed by the House April 26, 2009 Yeas 94   ________________________________________ Speaker of the House of Representatives Passed by the Senate April 25, 2009 Yeas 29   ________________________________________ President of the Senate | I, Barbara Baker, Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2361 as passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on the dates hereon set forth. ________________________________________ Chief Clerk | |
Approved ________________________________________ Governor of the State of Washington | Secretary of State State of Washington |
State of Washington | 61st Legislature | 2009 Regular Session |
READ FIRST TIME 04/20/09.
AN ACT Relating to modifying state payments for in-home care; adding new sections to chapter 74.39A RCW; creating a new section; and declaring an emergency.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 A new section is added to chapter 74.39A RCW
to read as follows:
(1)(a) The department shall not pay a home care agency licensed
under chapter 70.127 RCW for in-home personal care or respite services
provided under this chapter, Title 71A RCW, or chapter 74.39 RCW if the
care is provided to a client by a family member of the client. To the
extent permitted under federal law, the provisions of this subsection
shall not apply if the family member providing care is older than the
client.
(b) The department may, on a case-by-case basis based on the
client's health and safety, make exceptions to (a) of this subsection
to authorize payment or to provide for payment during a transition
period of up to three months.
(2) The department shall take appropriate enforcement action
against a home care agency found to have charged the state for hours of
service for which the department is not authorized to pay under this
section, including requiring recoupment of any payment made for those
hours and, under criteria adopted by the department by rule,
terminating the contract of an agency that violates a recoupment
requirement.
(3) For purposes of this section:
(a) "Client" means a person who has been deemed eligible by the
department to receive in-home personal care or respite services.
(b) "Family member" shall be liberally construed to include, but
not be limited to, a parent, child, sibling, aunt, uncle, cousin,
grandparent, grandchild, grandniece, or grandnephew, or such relatives
when related by marriage.
(4) The department shall adopt rules to implement this section.
The rules shall not result in affecting the amount, duration, or scope
of the personal care or respite services benefit to which a client may
be entitled pursuant to RCW 74.09.520 or Title XIX of the federal
social security act.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 A new section is added to chapter 74.39A RCW
to read as follows:
(1) Beginning July 1, 2010, the department shall not pay a home
care agency licensed under chapter 70.127 RCW for in-home personal care
or respite services provided under this chapter, Title 71A RCW, or
chapter 74.39 RCW if the home care agency does not verify agency
employee hours by electronic time keeping.
(2) For purposes of this section, "electronic time keeping" means
an electronic, verifiable method of recording an employee's presence in
the client's home at the beginning and end of the employee's client
visit workday.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3 If any part of this act is found to be in
conflict with federal requirements that are a prescribed condition to
the allocation of federal funds to the state, the conflicting part of
this act is inoperative solely to the extent of the conflict and with
respect to the agencies directly affected, and this finding does not
affect the operation of the remainder of this act in its application to
the agencies concerned. Rules adopted under this act must meet federal
requirements that are a necessary condition to the receipt of federal
funds by the state.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4 This act is necessary for the immediate
preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the
state government and its existing public institutions, and takes effect
immediately.