S-4233               _______________________________________________

                                                   SENATE BILL NO. 6602

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1990 Regular Session

By Senators Rasmussen, Newhouse, Hansen, Stratton and Thorsness

Read first time 1/19/90 and referred to Committee on  Health & Long-Term Care.

AN ACT Relating to a skilled nursing care center for veterans; adding a new section to chapter 43.60A RCW; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     The legislature finds that there is a dramatic increase in the number of senior veterans among the total Washington population, and that eastern Washington veterans are underserved because there is no state long-term care facility available.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 43.60A RCW to read as follows:

          The department of veterans affairs shall complete planning and design work for a skilled nursing care center for veterans in time for the project to be submitted for federal veterans affairs matching funds in August 1992.  The facility shall be constructed at a site in eastern Washington and shall contain between one hundred twenty and one hundred eighty skilled nursing care beds.  The department of veterans affairs shall operate the facility providing a service level no less than that provided at the state veterans' home and the state soldiers' home.