Z-0248.1

SENATE BILL 5183

BySenators Liias, Keiser, Conway, Dhingra, Hunt, Nguyen, Nobles, Shewmake, Stanford, Trudeau, Valdez, and C. Wilson; by request of Department of Social and Health Services

AN ACT Relating to raising the residential personal needs allowance; and amending RCW 74.09.340.

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

Sec. 1. RCW 74.09.340 and 2022 c 164 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Except as provided in RCW 72.36.160, beginning ((January 1, 2019))July 1, 2023, the personal needs allowance for clients being served in medical institutions and in residential settings is (($70))$100.

(2) Beginning January 1, ((2020))2024, and each year thereafter, ((subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose,)) the personal needs allowance for clients being served in medical institutions and in residential settings shall:

(a) Be adjusted for economic trends and conditions by increasing the allowance by the percentage cost-of-living adjustment for old-age, survivors, and disability social security benefits as published by the federal social security administration; and

(b) Not exceed the maximum personal needs allowance permissible under the federal social security act.

(3) Unless subject to a separate determination of a monthly maintenance needs allowance for a community spouse by authority rule, beginning July 1, 2022, the personal needs allowance for a client receiving home and community-based waiver services authorized by home and community services while living at home shall:

(a) Be adjusted to an amount that is no less than 300 percent of the federal benefit rate; and

(b) Not exceed the maximum personal needs allowance permissible under the federal social security act.

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