EMERGENCY RULES
SOCIAL AND HEALTH SERVICES
(Aging and Adult Services Administration)
Date of Adoption: June 26, 2002.
Purpose: To change the nursing home (NH) license fee from $127 per bed per year to $275 per bed per year to implement the legislative intent of ESSB 6387 (chapter 371, Laws of 2002).
Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 388-97-550 and 388-97-555.
Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 18.51.050.
Under RCW 34.05.350 the agency for good cause finds that immediate adoption, amendment, or repeal of a rule is necessary for the preservation of the public health, safety, or general welfare, and that observing the time requirements of notice and opportunity to comment upon adoption of a permanent rule would be contrary to the public interest; and that state or federal law or federal rule or a federal deadline for state receipt of federal funds requires immediate adoption of a rule.
Reasons for this Finding: Under RCW 18.51.050 the department must set NH license fees at an amount adequate to cover in full the costs of the licensing activities for nursing homes. In the "Final Budget - Agency Summary Detail" to ESSB 6387 (chapter 371, Laws of 2002), the legislature stated its intent that, "Nursing home licensing fees are to be increased from their current level of $127 (per bed) per year to $275, so that those fees will fully cover the cost of the licensing and inspection function, as required by RCW 18.51.050." Regular adoption would delay by four months or more the increase needed to adequately fund NH licensing/inspection. Inadequate funding for NH inspection and licensing risks the health, safety and general welfare of all NH residents.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 2, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making:
New 0,
Amended 0,
Repealed 0;
Pilot Rule Making:
New 0,
Amended 0,
Repealed 0;
or Other Alternative Rule Making:
New 0,
Amended 2,
Repealed 0.
Effective Date of Rule:
July 1, 2002.
June 26, 2002
Brian H. Lindgren, Manager
Rules and Policies Assistance Unit
3112.1(a) Submitted at least sixty days prior to the proposed effective date of the license on forms designated by the department;
(b) Signed by the proposed licensee or the proposed licensee's authorized representative;
(c) Notarized; and
(d) Reviewed by the department in accordance with this chapter.
(2) All information requested on the license application must be provided. At minimum, the nursing home license application will require the following information:
(a) The name and address of the proposed licensee, and any partner, officer, director, managerial employee, or owner of five percent or more of the proposed licensee;
(b) The names of the administrator, director of nursing services, and, if applicable, the management company;
(c) The specific location and the mailing address of the facility for which a license is sought;
(d) The number of beds to be licensed; and
(e) The name and address of all nursing homes that the proposed licensee or any partner, officer, director, managerial employee, or owner of five percent or more of the proposed licensee has been affiliated with in the past ten years.
(3) The proposed licensee must be:
(a) The individual or entity responsible for the daily operation of the nursing home;
(b) Denied the license if any individual or entity named in the application is found by the department to be unqualified.
(4) For initial licensure of a new nursing home, the
proposed licensee must submit the annual license fee with the
initial license application. The nonrefundable nursing home
license fee is ((one)) two hundred ((twenty-seven)) seventy-five
dollars per bed per year.
(5) If any information submitted in the initial license application changes before the license is issued, the proposed licensee must submit a revised application containing the changed information.
(6) If a license application is pending for more than six months, the proposed licensee must submit a revised application containing current information about the proposed licensee or any other individuals or entities named in the application.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 18.51.070 and 74.42.620. 00-06-028, § 388-97-550, filed 2/24/00, effective 3/26/00.]
(2) License renewals must be:
(a) Submitted at least thirty days prior to the license's expiration date on forms designated by the department;
(b) Signed by the current licensee or the current licensee's authorized representative;
(c) Notarized; and
(d) Reviewed by the department in accordance with this chapter.
(3) The current licensee must provide all information on the license renewal form or other information requested by the department.
(4) The application for a nursing home license renewal must be:
(a) Made by the individual or entity currently licensed and responsible for the daily operation of the nursing home;
(b) Denied if any individual or entity named in the renewal application is found by the department to be unqualified.
(5) The nursing home license renewal fee must be submitted
at the time of renewal. The nonrefundable nursing home license
renewal fee is ((one)) two hundred ((twenty-seven)) seventy-five
dollars per bed per year.
(6) In unusual circumstances, the department may issue an interim nursing home license for a period not to exceed three months. The current licensee must submit the prorated nursing home license fee for the period covered by the interim license. The annual date of license renewal does not change when an interim license is issued.
(7) A change of nursing home ownership does not change the date of license renewal and fee payment.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 18.51.070 and 74.42.620. 00-06-028, § 388-97-555, filed 2/24/00, effective 3/26/00.]