Rainier School. The Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) of the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) operates four residential habilitation centers (RHCs), which provide 24-hour service and support for qualified individuals with developmental disabilities needing institutional care. The Rainier School, located in Buckley, is one of the RHCs.

Rainier School is an Intermediate Care Facility for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities Program (ICF/ID) certified by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). In 2018, Rainier School was providing service to approximately 300 residents and was comprised of three separately certified program areas: Program Area Team (PAT) A, PAT C, and PAT E. In 2019, PAT A lost its certification with CMS, and by 2020 residents were relocated and PAT A was closed. In 2023, PAT C lots its certification with CMS, and by 2024 residents were relocated and PAT C was closed. Today, PAT E is fully certified and is supporting 75 residents.

In 2020, at the direction of the Governor and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Klamath Cottage was opened on the Rainier School campus to transition individuals that were medically stable out of acute care hospital beds to ensure hospital capacity was available. Klamath Cottage is not an ICF/ID, is currently serving nine residents, and is funded entirely with state resources through June 2025.

Community Residential Programs. Community residential programs provide support for persons living in community living situations. These include supported living and non-facility based living situations such as State-Operated Living Alternatives (SOLAs), which are operated by the DDA with state employees providing instruction and support to clients.

Adult Family Homes. Adult family homes are community-based facilities licensed to care for up to eight individuals. These homes provide room, board, laundry, necessary supervision, and assistance with activities of daily living, personal care, and social services.

Upon the effective date of the act, DSHS shall not permit any new long-term admissions to Rainier School and, as of June 30, 2027, new admissions of any kind are not permitted except that former long-term residents of Rainier School have a right to return once after transitioning to the community within one year of their transition to the community. If a former resident of the Rainier School exercises the right to return, any additional request to return to the Rainier School after a second move to the community shall be reviewed by DSHS and must be approved by the secretary of DSHS, based on the recommendation from a multi-disciplinary care team. Rainier School shall cease to operate as an RHC when the census of long-term residents has reached zero persons.

Sufficient funding shall be appropriated to DSHS to provide alternative living arrangements to residents of the Rainier School in SOLAs, supported living facilities, adult family homes, and other RHCs; and to offer employees of the Rainier School opportunities to work in SOLAs and other state facilities and programs.

When assisting individuals who are transitioning out of Rainier School, DSHS shall:

• offer each individual resident a meaningful choice of appropriate alternative placements;
• prioritize client choice, autonomy, individual preferences, medical and behavioral health care needs, and opportunities for community integration;
• develop individualized transition plans in collaboration with each resident and their family or legal guardian, caregivers, and support providers;
• coordinate closely with other state agencies, local entities, health care providers, and community stakeholders to ensure seamless transitions;
• provide or contract for all necessary assessments, planning, relocation expenses, housing modifications, staff training, crisis support, and related transition activities; and
• implement robust oversight and accountability measures related to the transitions, and regularly monitor transition outcomes, as well as individual well-being and satisfaction.

Closure, for purposes of the act, is defined as prohibiting new admissions to Rainier School on June 30, 2027.

DSHS is required to submit reports to the Legislature every six months beginning December 1, 2025 through June 1, 2027, and then annually thereafter until June 1, 2030, detailing the following information:

• capacity for all residential settings for individuals with developmental disabilities;
• the number of former residents who have transitioned out of the Rainier School and the settings that they transitioned to;
• the number of deaths of former residents who have transitioned out of the Rainier School and into other residential settings supported by DSHS;
• the geographic distribution of residential placements for clients of the DDA; and
• information on former employees of the Rainier School who have transitioned to other state employment, left the industry, or transitioned to private sector employment. 

By November 1, 2028, the Office of the Developmental Disability Ombuds shall submit a report to the appropriate committees of the Legislature that includes summaries of resident, parent, and guardian feedback regarding transition of residents out of the Rainier School. 

DSHS shall, within available funds, hold a 90-day public comment period to solicit feedback to identify strategies to mitigate the impact on the communities affected by the prohibition on new admissions at the Rainier School. The public comment period must conclude no later than November 1, 2025.