The following definitions apply to this chapter:

(1) "Activities of daily living" means self-care abilities related to personal care such as bathing, eating, using the toilet, dressing, medication assistance, and transfer. Instrumental activities of daily living may also be used to assess a person's functional abilities in the home and the community such as cooking, shopping, house cleaning, doing laundry, working, and managing personal finances.

(2) "Adult family home training network" means a nonprofit organization established by the exclusive bargaining representative of adult family homes designated under RCW 41.56.026 with the capacity to provide training, workforce development, and other services to adult family homes.

(3) "Applicant" means:

(a) An individual who is applying for an adult family home license;

(b) An individual with an ownership interest in a partnership, corporation, or other entity that is applying for an adult family home license; or

(c) An individual who is applying for an enhanced services facility license.

(4) "Capable caregiving training" means the DSHS developed training curricula in dementia and mental health that will be available in three class levels. The level one series of the class in both dementia and mental health meets the requirements under RCW 18.20.270 and RCW 70.128.230 for specialty training. The level two and level three capable caregiving classes, when developed in both topics, may be completed for continuing education credits.

(5) "Care team" includes the resident and everyone involved in the individual's care. The care team may include family, friends, doctors, nurses, long-term care workers, social workers, and case managers. The role of the care team is to support the resident's well-being. However, the resident directs the service plan when able.

(6) "Challenge test" means a competency test taken for specialty training without first taking the class for which the test is designed.

(7) "Competency" means the integrated knowledge, skills, or behavior expected of a long-term care worker after completing the training in a required topic area. Learning objectives are associated with each competency.

(8) "Competency testing" including challenge testing, evaluates a student to determine if they can demonstrate the required level of skill, knowledge, and behavior with respect to the identified learning objectives of a particular course.

(9) "Core basic training" is the portion of the 70-hour home care aide basic training that covers the core competencies and skills that long-term care workers need in order to provide personal care services efficiently and safely. The core basic training hours also includes hours devoted to student practice and demonstration of skills.

(10) "Date of hire" for determining time frames related to training and certification means the first day the long-term care worker is employed by any employer.

(11) "DDA" means the developmental disabilities administration.

(12) "Designee" means a person in an assisted living facility or enhanced services facility who supervises long-term care workers and is designated by an assisted living facility administrator or enhanced services facility administrator to take the trainings in this chapter required of the facility administrator. An assisted living facility or enhanced services facility administrator may have more than one designee.

(13) "Direct care worker" means a paid individual who provides direct, personal care services to persons with disabilities or the elderly requiring long-term care (see also the definition of long-term care worker, which includes direct care workers).

(14) "Direct supervision" means oversight by a person who has demonstrated competency in basic training and if required, specialty training, or has been exempted from the basic training requirements, and is on the premises and quickly available to the caregiver.

(15) "DSHS" or "department" means the department of social and health services.

(16) "Enhancement" means additional time provided for skills practice and additional training materials or classroom activities that help a long-term care worker to thoroughly learn the course content and skills. Enhancements may include new student materials, videos or DVDs, online materials, and additional student activities.

(17) "Entity representative" means the individual designated by an adult family home provider who is or will be responsible for the daily operations of an adult family home.

(18) "Expanded specialty training" means optional curricula that provide caregivers with advanced knowledge and skills to provide person-centered care to clients or residents living with conditions other than developmental disabilities, dementia, and mental health. The optional expanded specialty training may include such topics as traumatic brain injury, diabetes care, and bariatric care. The optional expanded specialty training curricula must be DSHS developed and based on competencies and learning objectives established by the department.

(19) "Guardian" means an individual as defined in chapter 11.130 RCW.

(20) "Home" means adult family homes, enhanced services facilities, and assisted living facilities.

(21) "Home care aide certified" or "home care aide" means a person who obtained and maintains a home care aide certification through the department of health.

(22) "Hybrid" means a combination of online training and in-person, remote, or virtual classroom instruction.

(23) "Indirect supervision" means oversight by a person who has demonstrated competency in basic training and if required, specialty training, or was exempted from basic training requirements, and who is quickly and easily available to the long-term care worker, but not necessarily on-site.

(24) "Learning objectives" means measurable, written statements that clearly describe what a long-term care worker must minimally learn to meet each competency. Learning objectives are identified for each competency. Learning objectives provide consistent, common language and a framework for curriculum designers, the curriculum approval process, and testing.

(25) "Long-term care worker" means:

(a) All persons who provide paid, personal care services for the elderly or persons with disabilities, including but not limited to individual providers of home care services, direct care workers employed by home care agencies, providers of home care services to persons with developmental disabilities under Title 71A RCW, all direct care workers in state-licensed assisted living facilities, adult family homes, respite care providers, community residential service providers, and any other direct care staff who provide home or community-based services to the elderly or persons with functional disabilities or developmental disabilities.

(b) Long-term care workers do not include:

(i) Persons employed by the following facilities or agencies: Nursing homes subject to chapter 18.51 RCW, hospitals or other acute care settings, residential habilitation centers under chapter 71A.20 RCW, facilities certified under 42 C.F.R., Part 483, hospice agencies subject to chapter 70.127 RCW, adult day care centers, and adult day health care centers; or

(ii) Persons who are not paid by the state, by a private agency, or facility licensed by the state to provide personal care services.

(26) "Online training" means a course taken through an automated, asynchronous learning management system or other technology that conforms to the online training standards posted on the DSHS website at https://bit.ly/dshs-online-standards.

(27) "Personal care services" means physical or verbal assistance with activities of daily living, or activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living, which is provided to meet the resident's care needs.

(28) "Provider" means any person or entity licensed by the department to operate an adult family home, enhanced services facility, or assisted living facility, or any person or entity certified by the department to provide instruction and support services to meet the needs of persons receiving services under Title 71A RCW.

(29) "Remote skills training" means training conducted in a virtual classroom environment, or online when a student either demonstrates a skill live or provides a video recorded file of themselves performing a skill that is forwarded for feedback to an approved instructor or a proctor trained by an approved instructor, or both. A training program must be approved by DSHS to provide remote skills training.

(30) "Renewal period" means the certification renewal period as defined in WAC 246-12-010.

(31) "Resident" means a person residing and receiving long-term care services at an assisted living facility, enhanced services facility, or adult family home. As applicable, "resident" also means the resident's legal guardian or other surrogate decision maker.

(32) "Resident manager" means a person employed or designated by the provider to manage the adult family home who meets the requirements in WAC 388-76-10000 and this chapter.

(33) "Routine interaction" means regular contact with residents.

(34) "70-hour home care aide basic training" means the 70-hours of required training that a new long-term care worker must complete within 120 days of hire. It has three components: Core competencies, practice of skills, and population specific topics, which may include specialty and nurse delegation training.

(35) "Special needs" means a resident has dementia consistent with WAC 388-78A-2510 for assisted living or WAC 388-76-10000 for adult family homes; mental illness consistent with WAC 388-78A-2500 for assisted living or WAC 388-76-10000 for adult family homes; or developmental disabilities consistent with WAC 388-78A-2490 for assisted living or WAC 388-76-10000 for adult family homes.

(36) "Specialty training" means curricula that meets the requirements of RCW 18.20.270 and 70.128.230 to provide basic core knowledge and skills that caregivers need to learn and understand to effectively and safely provide care to residents living with mental illness, dementia, or developmental disabilities. The specialty training curricula may be DSHS developed or DSHS approved and must be based on the competencies and learning objectives in WAC 388-112A-0430, 388-112A-0440, or 388-112A-0450.

(37) "Training entity" means an organization, including an independent contractor, who provides or may provide training under this chapter using approved curriculum.

(38) "Virtual classroom" means a synchronous, instructor-led, remote learning environment conducted in real time that conforms to the virtual classroom standards posted on the DSHS website at https://bit.ly/dshs-online-standards. A training program must be approved by DSHS to provide virtual classroom instruction.