Home and Community Living Administration. The Home and Community Living Administration (HCLA) is a division of the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) that assists individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families with obtaining services and supports based on individual preferences, capabilities, and needs.  Clients of the HCLA may live in the community or in an institutional setting such as a residential habilitation center (RHC).

Residential Habilitation Centers. HCLA operates four RHCs that provide clients with residential, habilitative support in an institutional setting.  The RHCs only serve clients age 21 and older, though clients 16 and older may be served on a short-term basis for respite or crisis stabilization services when no appropriate service options are available in the community.  The RHCs are federally certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as either an intermediate care facility (ICF) that provides individualized habilitative services, a nursing facility that is capable of caring for clients with unique medical needs, or both, providing care 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Additional services include therapies, behavioral support and employment and community services. 

The four RHCs are:

• Fircrest School in Shoreline, which includes a nursing facility and an ICF; 
• Lakeland Village Residential Habilitation Center in Medical Lake, which includes a nursing facility and an ICF;
• Rainier School in Buckley, which is an ICF; and
• Yakima Valley School in Selah, which is a nursing facility.

Rainier School and Yakima Valley School are not accepting new permanent residents. Admissions are limited to short-term respite or crisis stabilization services only.  

Interlake School was an RHC that closed in 1994. References to Interlake School remain in the Revised Code of Washington. 

Fircrest School is renamed Fircrest Residential Habilitation Center, Rainier School is renamed Rainier Residential Habilitation Center, and the Yakima Valley School is renamed the Yakima Valley Residential Habilitation Center. References to the former Interlake School will be to Interlake Residential Habilitation Center.

Lakeland Village Residential Habilitation Center retains its current name.

Any existing references to Fircrest School, Rainier School, and Yakima Valley School retain its full force and effect.  DSHS is to update rules and make other changes necessary to reflect the names of the RHCs.

• Renames the Yakima Valley School to the Yakima Valley Residential Habilitation Center.

The committee recommended a different version of the bill than what was heard.  PRO: It is confusing that these facilities are called schools when there is no education. When these facilities were established it was a different time and those with developmental disabilities did not have a right to an education in public school.  Last year there was lots of confusion when the Legislature was considering a different bill regarding closing two RHCs, confusion based on part that these facilities are called schools.  This bill is about providing clarity in the names of the facilities, this is a simple but important fix regarding outdated terminology.  This bill doesn't change the roles or activities of the RHCs. Before 1975 children did live at these facilities, and often lived at the facilities for decades. Yakima Valley School should be included in the name change.