BILL REQ. #:  S-1844.1 

Read first time 02/15/2007.   Referred to Committee on Health & Long-Term Care.

     AN ACT Relating to the home care quality authority; and amending RCW 74.39A.290.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 74.39A.290 and 2002 c 3 s 8 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The joint legislative audit and review committee will conduct a performance review of the authority ((every two years)) and submit the review to the legislature and the governor. The first review will be submitted before December 1, 2006, and the second review shall be submitted before December 1, 2009. Subsequent reviews shall be conducted periodically as determined by the legislature or the joint legislative audit and review committee.
     (2) The performance review will include an evaluation of the ((health, welfare, and satisfaction with services provided of the consumers receiving long-term in-home care services from individual providers under chapter 3, Laws of 2002, including the degree to which all required services have been delivered, the degree to which consumers receiving services from individual providers have ultimately required additional or more intensive services, such as home health care, or have been placed in other residential settings or nursing homes, the promptness of response to consumer complaints, and any other issue the committee deems relevant.
     (3) The performance review will provide an explanation of the full cost of individual provider services, including the administrative costs of the authority, unemployment compensation, social security and medicare payroll taxes paid by the department, and area agency on aging home care oversight costs.
     (4) The performance review will make recommendations to the legislature and the governor for any amendments to chapter 3, Laws of 2002 that will further ensure the well-being of consumers and prospective consumers under chapter 3, Laws of 2002, and the most efficient means of delivering required services. In addition, the first performance review will include findings and recommendations regarding the appropriateness of the authority's assumption of responsibility for verification of hours worked by individual providers, payment of individual providers, and other duties)) services provided by the home care quality authority, and any other questions required by the legislature or the joint legislative audit and review committee.