AN ACT Relating to the regulation of adult family homes; and amending RCW 70.128.060 and 70.128.120.

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

Sec. 1.  RCW 70.128.060 and 2013 c 300 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) An application for license shall be made to the department upon forms provided by it and shall contain such information as the department reasonably requires.

(2) Subject to the provisions of this section, the department shall issue a license to an adult family home if the department finds that the applicant and the home are in compliance with this chapter and the rules adopted under this chapter. The department may not issue a license if (a) the applicant or a person affiliated with the applicant has prior violations of this chapter relating to the adult family home subject to the application or any other adult family home, or of any other law regulating residential care facilities within the past ten years that resulted in revocation, suspension, or nonrenewal of a license or contract with the department; or (b) the applicant or a person affiliated with the applicant has a history of significant noncompliance with federal, state, or local laws, rules, or regulations relating to the provision of care or services to vulnerable adults or to children. A person is considered affiliated with an applicant if the person is listed on the license application as a partner, officer, director, resident manager, or majority owner of the applying entity, or is the spouse of the applicant.

(3) The license fee shall be submitted with the application.

(4) Proof of financial solvency must be submitted when requested by the department.

(5) The department shall serve upon the applicant a copy of the decision granting or denying an application for a license. An applicant shall have the right to contest denial of his or her application for a license as provided in chapter 34.05 RCW by requesting a hearing in writing within twenty-eight days after receipt of the notice of denial.

(6) The department shall not issue a license to a provider if the department finds that the provider or spouse of the provider or any partner, officer, director, managerial employee, or majority owner has a history of significant noncompliance with federal or state regulations, rules, or laws in providing care or services to vulnerable adults or to children.

(7) The department shall license an adult family home for the maximum level of care that the adult family home may provide. The department shall define, in rule, license levels based upon the education, training, and caregiving experience of the licensed provider or staff.

(8) For adult family homes that serve residents with special needs such as dementia, developmental disabilities, or mental illness, specialty training is required of providers and resident managers consistent with RCW 70.128.230, and also is required for caregivers, with standardized competency testing for caregivers hired after July 28, 2013, as set forth by the department in rule. The department shall examine, with input from experts, providers, consumers, and advocates, whether the existing specialty training courses are adequate for providers, resident managers, and caregivers to meet these residents' special needs, are sufficiently standardized in curricula and instructional techniques, and are accompanied by effective tools to fairly evaluate successful student completion. The department may enhance the existing specialty training requirements by rule, and may update curricula, instructional techniques, and competency testing based upon its review and stakeholder input. In addition, the department shall examine, with input from experts, providers, consumers, and advocates, whether additional specialty training categories should be created for adult family homes serving residents with other special needs, such as traumatic brain injury, skilled nursing, or bariatric care. The department may establish, by rule, additional specialty training categories and requirements for providers, resident managers, and caregivers, if needed to better serve residents with such special needs.

(9) The department shall establish, by rule, standards used to license nonresident providers and multiple facility operators.

(10) The department shall establish, by rule, for multiple facility operators educational standards substantially equivalent to recognized national certification standards for residential care administrators.

(11)(a)(i) At the time of an application for an adult family home license and upon the annual fee renewal date set by the department, the licensee shall pay a license fee. Beginning July 1, 2011, the per bed license fee and any processing fees, including the initial license fee, must be established in the omnibus appropriations act and any amendment or additions made to that act. The license fees established in the omnibus appropriations act and any amendment or additions made to that act may not exceed the department's annual licensing and oversight activity costs and must include the department's cost of paying providers for the amount of the license fee attributed to medicaid clients.

(12) A provider who receives notification of the department's initiation of a denial, suspension, nonrenewal, or revocation of an adult family home license may, in lieu of appealing the department's action, surrender or relinquish the license. The department shall not issue a new license to or contract with the provider, for the purposes of providing care to vulnerable adults or children, for a period of twenty years following the surrendering or relinquishment of the former license. The licensing record shall indicate that the provider relinquished or surrendered the license, without admitting the violations, after receiving notice of the department's initiation of a denial, suspension, nonrenewal, or revocation of a license.

(13) The department shall establish, by rule, the circumstances requiring a change in the licensed provider, which include, but are not limited to, a change in ownership or control of the adult family home or provider, a change in the provider's form of legal organization, such as from sole proprietorship to partnership or corporation, and a dissolution or merger of the licensed entity with another legal organization. The new provider is subject to the provisions of this chapter, the rules adopted under this chapter, and other applicable law. In order to ensure that the safety of residents is not compromised by a change in provider, the new provider is responsible for correction of all violations that may exist at the time of the new license.

Sec. 2.  RCW 70.128.120 and 2013 c 39 s 21 are each amended to read as follows:

Each adult family home provider, applicant, and each resident manager shall have the following minimum qualifications, except that only applicants are required to meet the provisions of subsections (10) and (11) of this section:

(1) Twenty-one years of age or older;

(2) For those applying after September 1, 2001, to be licensed as providers, and for resident managers whose employment begins after September 1, 2001, a United States high school diploma or high school equivalency certificate as provided in RCW 28B.50.536 or any English or translated government documentation of the following:

(a) Successful completion of government-approved public or private school education in a foreign country that includes an annual average of one thousand hours of instruction over twelve years or no less than twelve thousand hours of instruction;

(b) A foreign college, foreign university, or United States community college two-year diploma;

(c) Admission to, or completion of coursework at, a foreign university or college for which credit was granted;

(d) Admission to, or completion of coursework at, a United States college or university for which credits were awarded;

(e) Admission to, or completion of postgraduate coursework at, a United States college or university for which credits were awarded; or

(f) Successful passage of the United States board examination for registered nursing, or any professional medical occupation for which college or university education preparation was required;

(3) Good moral and responsible character and reputation;

(4) Literacy and the ability to communicate in the English language;

(5) Management and administrative ability to carry out the requirements of this chapter;

(6) Satisfactory completion of department-approved basic training and continuing education training as required by RCW 74.39A.074, and in rules adopted by the department;

(7) Satisfactory completion of department-approved, or equivalent, special care training before a provider may provide special care services to a resident;

(8) Not been convicted of any crime that is disqualifying under RCW 43.43.830 or 43.43.842, or department rules adopted under this chapter, or been found to have abused, neglected, exploited, or abandoned a minor or vulnerable adult as specified in RCW 74.39A.056(2);

(9) For those applying to be licensed as providers, and for resident managers whose employment begins after August 24, 2011, at least one thousand hours in the previous sixty months of successful, direct caregiving experience obtained after age eighteen to vulnerable adults in a licensed or contracted setting prior to operating or managing an adult family home. The applicant or resident manager must have credible evidence of the successful, direct caregiving experience or, currently hold one of the following professional licenses: Physician licensed under chapter 18.71 RCW; osteopathic physician licensed under chapter 18.57 RCW; osteopathic physician assistant licensed under chapter 18.57A RCW; physician assistant licensed under chapter 18.71A RCW; registered nurse, advanced registered nurse practitioner, or licensed practical nurse licensed under chapter 18.79 RCW;

(10) For applicants, proof of financial solvency, as defined in rule; and

(11) Applicants must successfully complete an adult family home administration and business planning class, prior to being granted a license. The class must be a minimum of forty-eight hours of classroom time and approved by the department. The department shall promote and prioritize bilingual capabilities within available resources and when materials are available for this purpose. Under exceptional circumstances, such as the sudden and unexpected death of a provider, the department may consider granting a license to an applicant who has not completed the class but who meets all other requirements. If the department decides to grant the license due to exceptional circumstances, the applicant must have enrolled in or completed the class within four months of licensure.

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