(1) The department shall make or cause to be made, at least every eighteen months with an annual average of fifteen months, an inspection and investigation of all assisted living facilities. However, the department may delay an inspection to twenty-four months if the assisted living facility has had three consecutive inspections with no written notice of violations and has received no written notice of violations resulting from complaint investigation during that same time period. The department may at anytime make an unannounced inspection of a licensed facility to assure that the licensee is in compliance with this chapter and the rules adopted under this chapter. Every inspection shall focus primarily on actual or potential resident outcomes, and may include an inspection of every part of the premises and an examination of all records, methods of administration, the general and special dietary, and the stores and methods of supply; however, the department shall not have access to financial records or to other records or reports described in RCW
18.20.390. Financial records of the assisted living facility may be examined when the department has reasonable cause to believe that a financial obligation related to resident care or services will not be met, such as a complaint that staff wages or utility costs have not been paid, or when necessary for the department to investigate alleged financial exploitation of a resident. Following such an inspection or inspections, written notice of any violation of this law or the rules adopted hereunder shall be given to the applicant or licensee and the department. The department may prescribe by rule that any licensee or applicant desiring to make specified types of alterations or additions to its facilities or to construct new facilities shall, before commencing such alteration, addition, or new construction, submit plans and specifications therefor to the agencies responsible for plan reviews for preliminary inspection and approval or recommendations with respect to compliance with the rules and standards herein authorized.
(2) If a pandemic, natural disaster, or other declared state of emergency prevents the department from completing inspections according to the timeline in subsection (1) of this section, the department shall adopt rules to reestablish inspection timelines based on the length of time since last inspection, compliance history of each facility, and immediate health or safety concerns.
(a) Rules adopted under this subsection (2) are effective until the termination of the pandemic, natural disaster, or other declared state of emergency or until the department determines that all facility inspections are occurring according to time frames established in subsection (1) of this section, whichever is later. Once the department determines a rule adopted under this subsection (2) is no longer necessary, it must repeal the rule under RCW
34.05.353.
(b) Within 12 months of the termination of the pandemic, natural disaster, or other declared state of emergency, the department shall conduct a review of inspection compliance with subsection (1) of this section and provide the legislature with a report.