H-0814.1

HOUSE BILL 1675

ByRepresentatives Tharinger, Harris, Chapman, Jinkins, Boehnke, Robinson, Riccelli, Appleton, Kilduff, Doglio, Leavitt, Macri, and Ormsby

AN ACT Relating to the establishment of a training network for adult family homes; amending RCW 70.128.010 and 70.128.230; and adding a new section to chapter 70.128 RCW.

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

Sec. 1. RCW 70.128.010 and 2007 c 184 s 7 are each amended to read as follows:

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter.

(1) "Adult family home" means a residential home in which a person or persons provide personal care, special care, room, and board to more than one but not more than six adults who are not related by blood or marriage to the person or persons providing the services.

(2) "Provider" means any person who is licensed under this chapter to operate an adult family home. For the purposes of this section, "person" means any individual, partnership, corporation, association, or limited liability company.

(3) "Department" means the department of social and health services.

(4) "Resident" means an adult in need of personal or special care in an adult family home who is not related to the provider.

(5) "Adults" means persons who have attained the age of eighteen years.

(6) "Home" means an adult family home.

(7) "Imminent danger" means serious physical harm to or death of a resident has occurred, or there is a serious threat to resident life, health, or safety.

(8) "Special care" means care beyond personal care as defined by the department, in rule.

(9) "Capacity" means the maximum number of persons in need of personal or special care permitted in an adult family home at a given time. This number shall include related children or adults in the home and who received special care.

(10) "Resident manager" means a person employed or designated by the provider to manage the adult family home.

(11) "Adult family home licensee" means a provider as defined in this section who does not receive payments from the medicaid and state-funded long-term care programs.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 70.128 RCW to read as follows:

If the department has any contracts for personal care services with any adult family home represented by an exclusive bargaining representative:

(1) Training required under this chapter for adult family homes must be available through an adult family home training network;

(2) Contributions to the adult family home training network must be made under a collective bargaining agreement;

(3) The adult family home training network shall provide reports as required by the department verifying that providers have complied with all training requirements; and

(4) The exclusive bargaining representative shall designate the adult family home training network.

Sec. 3. RCW 70.128.230 and 2013 c 259 s 5 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The definitions in this subsection apply throughout this section unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

(a) "Caregiver" includes all adult family home resident managers and any person who provides residents with hands-on personal care on behalf of an adult family home, except volunteers who are directly supervised.

(b) "Indirect supervision" means oversight by a person who has demonstrated competency in the core areas or has been fully exempted from the training requirements pursuant to this section and is quickly and easily available to the caregiver, but not necessarily on-site.

(2) Training must have three components: Orientation, basic training, and continuing education. All adult family home providers, resident managers, and employees, or volunteers who routinely interact with residents shall complete orientation. Caregivers shall complete orientation, basic training, and continuing education.

(3) Orientation consists of introductory information on residents' rights, communication skills, fire and life safety, and universal precautions. Orientation must be provided at the facility by appropriate adult family home staff to all adult family home employees before the employees have routine interaction with residents.

(4) Basic training consists of modules on the core knowledge and skills that caregivers need to learn and understand to effectively and safely provide care to residents. Basic training must be outcome-based, and the effectiveness of the basic training must be measured by demonstrated competency in the core areas through the use of a competency test. Basic training must be completed by caregivers within one hundred twenty days of the date on which they begin to provide hands-on care. Until competency in the core areas has been demonstrated, caregivers shall not provide hands-on personal care to residents without direct supervision.

(5) For adult family homes that serve residents with special needs such as dementia, developmental disabilities, or mental illness, specialty training is required of providers and resident managers.

(a) Specialty training consists of modules on the core knowledge and skills that providers and resident managers need to effectively and safely provide care to residents with special needs. Specialty training should be integrated into basic training wherever appropriate. Specialty training must be outcome-based, and the effectiveness of the specialty training measured by demonstrated competency in the core specialty areas through the use of a competency test.

(b) Specialty training must be completed by providers and resident managers before admitting and serving residents who have been determined to have special needs related to mental illness, dementia, or a developmental disability. Should a resident develop special needs while living in a home without specialty designation, the provider and resident manager have one hundred twenty days to complete specialty training.

(6) Continuing education consists of ongoing delivery of information to caregivers on various topics relevant to the care setting and care needs of residents. Competency testing is not required for continuing education. Continuing education is not required in the same calendar year in which basic or modified basic training is successfully completed. Continuing education is required in each calendar year thereafter. If specialty training is completed, the specialty training applies toward any continuing education requirement for up to two years following the completion of the specialty training.

(7) Persons who successfully challenge the competency test for basic training are fully exempt from the basic training requirements of this section. Persons who successfully challenge the specialty training competency test are fully exempt from the specialty training requirements of this section.

(8) (a) Registered nurses and licensed practical nurses licensed under chapter 18.79 RCW are exempt from any continuing education requirement established under this section.

(b) The department may adopt rules that would exempt licensed persons from all or part of the training requirements under this chapter, if they are (i) performing the tasks for which they are licensed and (ii) subject to chapter 18.130 RCW.

(9) In an effort to improve access to training and education and reduce costs, especially for rural communities, the ((coordinated system of long-term care training and education))adult family home training network must include the use of innovative types of learning strategies such as internet resources, videotapes, and distance learning using satellite technology coordinated through community colleges, private associations, or other entities, as defined by the department.

(10) The adult family home training network shall assist adult family homes that desire to deliver facility-based training with facility designated trainers, or adult family homes that desire to pool their resources to create shared training systems((, must be encouraged by the department in their efforts)). The department shall develop criteria for reviewing and approving trainers and training materials. The department may approve a curriculum based upon attestation by an adult family home administrator that the adult family home's training curriculum addresses basic and specialty training competencies identified by the department, and shall review a curriculum to verify that it meets these requirements. The department may conduct the review as part of the next regularly scheduled inspection authorized under RCW 70.128.070. The department shall rescind approval of any curriculum if it determines that the curriculum does not meet these requirements.

(11) The department shall adopt rules by September 1, 2002, for the implementation of this section.

(12)(a) Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, the orientation, basic training, specialty training, and continuing education requirements of this section commence September 1, 2002, and shall be applied to (i) employees hired subsequent to September 1, 2002; or (ii) existing employees that on September 1, 2002, have not successfully completed the training requirements under RCW 70.128.120 or 70.128.130 and this section. Existing employees who have not successfully completed the training requirements under RCW 70.128.120 or 70.128.130 shall be subject to all applicable requirements of this section.

(b) Beginning January 7, 2012, long-term care workers, as defined in RCW 74.39A.009, employed by an adult family home are also subject to the training requirements under RCW 74.39A.074.

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