5393-S AMH COUT REIN 445

SSB 5393 - H AMD 1437

By Representative Couture

WITHDRAWN 04/26/2025

On page 2, beginning on line 12, after "(1)" strike all material through "residents" on line 13 and insert "The department shall close Rainier school and relocate current residents as soon as is safely possible"

On page 2, line 14, after "section" insert "and section 3 of this act, by providing a certification under section 3(4) of this act"

On page 2, after line 30, insert the following:

"NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 71A.20

RCW to read as follows:

In addition to fulfilling the requirements in section 2 of this act, the department must carry out a comprehensive facility closure and transition plan for the closure of Rainier School and the transfer of affected residents and employees.

(1) By June 30, 2026, the department must complete the following:

(a) An individual-centered transition assessment for each individual residing in the facility. The assessment must include input from the individual's family members, guardians, and care teams, and must include, at a minimum:

(i) Individual preferences as to living arrangement, including, but not limited to the options identified in section 2(3) of this act;

(ii) Whether the person can be safely supported in a community-based setting;

(iii) The person's medical, behavioral, and staffing needs, categorized by the level of support required for each; and

(iv) A clinical analysis to determine whether the individual requires institutional-level care or can transition safely to a community setting;

(b) A system-wide capacity analysis across all residential options, including:

(i) An assessment of:

(A) Supported living capacity, and capacity in potentially appropriate adult family homes, group homes, skilled nursing facilities, group training homes, and companion homes;

(B) Capacity in state-operated living alternatives; and

(C) Respite and crisis stabilization bed capacity;

(ii) Identification of gaps in geographic distribution of placements identified in (b)(i) of this subsection, service types, staffing, and specialized support; and

(iii) An assessment of associated current and projected provider workforce capacity, training requirements, and turnover trends; and

(c) A state employee transition strategy including the following components:

(i) A complete survey of all employees of the facility to determine willingness and availability to transition into other roles within the department or other state employment and regional placement preferences; and

(ii) A staff retention and placement plan to ensure continuity of care and preserve institutional knowledge.

(2) The department must ensure the availability of a residential habilitation center placement for each former resident who has transitioned to a community placement for a minimum of six months following the resident's transition to assure a safe placement if the former resident can no longer be served adequately in the community. The former resident must be offered a placement in the facility they transitioned from unless the facility has closed and a certification has been provided under subsection (4) of this section, in which case a placement at another residential habilitation center must be made available.

(3) No affected residential habilitation center resident may be transitioned out of the facility without being offered a confirmed, staffed, and funded alternative placement. The department may not provide the certification in subsection (4) of this section until a safe and appropriate placement has been identified and is operational for each affected resident. The department must integrate managed care plans into transition planning for each resident to ensure continuity of medical and behavioral services.

(4) The department shall finalize closure of the facility by certifying to the legislature and the governor that all residents have been transitioned to safe and appropriate alternative placements. Such certification may occur no sooner than June 30, 2027.

(5) The department must report to the legislature, in compliance with RCW 43.01.036, and publish on its website by November 1, 2025, and on a quarterly basis thereafter:

(a) Until a certification is provided under subsection (4) of this section, a progress update as to the facility closure and transition plan outlined in subsection (1) of this section, associated findings as to gaps in system capacity, and any projected gaps in equivalent employment opportunities for current facility staff;

(b) Detailed information as to:

(i) The number of residents who have transitioned out of the facility, and the settings they transitioned to;

(ii) The number of residents who transitioned to a community setting but transferred back to a residential habilitation center, and the general reason for returning to facility-based care;

(iii) Instances of hospitalization, emergency placement, or death of former residents who have transitioned out of either facility, along with the general circumstances for such outcome, if known; and

(iv) The number of remaining residents and barriers to securing appropriate alternative placements; and

(c) For one year after a certification is provided under subsection (4) of this section, information as to employment rate and type of employment, including whether employment is with the state, another government entity, or the private sector, of former Rainer school staff.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. The department of social and health services shall contract for an annual independent analysis of outcomes for residents who have transitioned out of Rainier school as a result of the facility closure required under this act. The analysis must include an assessment as to quality of life and satisfaction level with residential arrangements for former residents, their families, and their caregivers. The initial analysis must be furnished to the department and the legislature by July 1, 2027."

Renumber the remaining sections consecutively and correct any internal references accordingly.

On page 3, beginning on line 7, after "center" strike "by June 30, 2027" and insert "when certification is provided under section 3(4) of this act"

On page 3, line 35, after "Village," strike "((Rainier school,))" and insert "Rainier school until a certification is provided for the closure of Rainier school under section 3(4) of this act,"

On page 4, line 22, after "Village," strike "((the Rainier

school,))" and insert "the Rainier school until a certification is

provided for the closure of Rainier school under section 3(4) of this act,"

On page 5, line 19, after "Village," strike "((Rainier school,))" and insert "Rainier school until a certification is provided for the closure of Rainier school under section 3(4) of this act,"

On page 5, at the beginning of line 30, strike "((Rainier school))" and insert "Rainier school until a certification is provided for the closure of Rainier school under section 3(4) of this act,"

On page 6, beginning on line 10, after "9." strike all material

through "this" on line 11 and insert "This"

On page 6, beginning on line 14, strike all of section 10

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