(1) All long-term care workers who are certified home care aides must comply with the continuing education requirements under chapter 246-980 WAC.

(2) Long-term care workers, who are exempt from home care aide certification as described in RCW 18.88B.041, unless exempt from continuing education as described under WAC 388-71-1001 must complete the annual continuing education requirements for each calendar year in which they performed any work as a long-term care worker.

(3) Long-term care workers, who are exempt from home care aide certification as described in RCW 18.88B.041, unless exempt from continuing education as described under WAC 388-71-1001 and who have not worked in long-term care for a calendar year or longer, are eligible to return to work as a long-term care worker when the continuing education hours required under this section are completed within the following timeframes:

(a) On or before their birthday, if their birthday will occur after the date they return to work; or

(b) Within forty-five calendar days of the date they returned to work, if their birthday occurred took place on or before the day they returned to work.

(i) If this forty-five calendar day time period allows workers to complete their continuing education in January or February of the following year, the hours of credit earned will be applied to the year in which they were hired.

(ii) Continuing education requirements for the calendar year after the year they were hired must be completed as required under WAC 388-71-0990, even if the long-term care worker must complete twenty-four hours of classes within a very short time.

(4) If the renewal period following initial certification as a home care aide or nursing assistant (NA-C), is less than a full year from the date of certification, no continuing education will be due for the first renewal period. The long-term care worker must complete continuing education requirement for the second renewal period on or before their birthdays.

(5) For long-term care workers who are caring for a biological, step, or adoptive parent, continuing education must be completed on or before by their birthday in the year after basic training was completed. If these long-term care workers have not worked in long-term care for a calendar year or longer they can complete their continuing education requirement as provided in subsection (3) of this section.