HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 1965

BYRepresentatives Hine, G. Fisher, Day, D. Sommers, Cantwell, Braddock, Cole, Dellwo and Rector

Excluding certain types of housing from the boarding home definition.

House Committe on Health Care

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  (10)

      Signed by Representatives Braddock, Chair; Day, Vice Chair; Brooks, Ranking Republican Member; Cantwell, Chandler, Morris, Prentice, Sommers, Sprenkle and Wolfe.

House Staff:Antonio Sanchez (786-7383)

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON HEALTH CARE MARCH 1, 1989

BACKGROUND:

For the purpose of licensure, a boarding home refers to a home or other institution maintained for the purpose of providing housing and limited care to three or more aged persons not related to the operator.

Currently this and all other types of residential care options offering limited and/or full time assistance to more than two elderly or functionally disabled persons, or children, are required to obtain a license.

Continuing care retirement communities are prepaid residential care options that offer a full range of transitional residential care for the elderly.  Most continuing care retirement communities maintain independent living units for a single person or a couple, other types of modified group residential care, and 24 hour nursing home care for the most functionally disabled.  Residential care provided in the non-nursing home part of this setting, or other similar living situations may need to be licensed as a boarding home under current regulations.

Day training centers and group training homes provide residential care to three developmentally disabled persons. There is only one home in the state which is currently covered under this definition.  Some of their residents may be non-ambulatory.  The Department of Social and Health Services has recently attempted to consider this training center as a boarding home for purposes of licensure standards.  This home has been exempt from any boarding home licensure standards since it opened in 1961.

SUMMARY:

SUBSTITUTE BILL:  Independent living units in continuing care retirement communities, or other similar residential settings are excluded from the definition of boarding home and licensure is not required.

Day training centers and group training homes are exempted from boarding home licensure and required to meet local health and safety standards as established by local health and fire safety authorities.

SUBSTITUTE BILL COMPARED TO ORIGINAL:  Day training centers and group training homes are exempted from boarding home licensure standards and required to meet local health and safety standards.

Fiscal Note:      Not Requested.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Marshall Hjelte, Bayview Manor; Lucille E. Tibbetts, Bayview Manor; Helen A. DePuy, Bayview Manor; Eunice Allen, Wesley Homes; Cal Groenenberg, Wesley Homes; Philip Walburn, Wesley Homes; Ray Westeren, Judson Park; Richard Milsow, The Hearthstone and Karen Tynes, Washington Association of Homes for the Aging.

House Committee - Testified Against:      Bliss Moore, Department of Social and Health Services.

House Committee - Testimony For:    Residents of continuing care retirement communities will be allowed to maintain their independence and freedom of choice.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      None Presented.