DSHS Strategic Plan- Home and Community Living Strategic Goals

 

At DSHS, our House of Health and Human Services priorities drive our agency’s Strategic Plan goals. This page highlights DSHS – Home and Community Living strategic goals, action plans and success measures.  

 

 
people

 

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In the strategic planning process, we identify three key components. 

  1. The Strategic Goal: Sets the goal that we are striving to achieve. 

  1. The Action Plan: Our action strategies to get there. 

  1. The Success Measure: The outcome to achieve a goal. 

 

Read in detail below about all of the components of DSHS - Home and Community Living’s strategic goals.  

 

Strategic plan index: Jump to a section of the plan by clicking the Strategic Goal (SG) 

  1. Offer personalized services that help people of all ages choose where and how they receive care.  
  2. Uphold and protect client independence, health, safety and rights.
  3. Engage partners to increase access to coordinated services and improve customer experience.  
  4. Strengthen the direct care workforce.
  5. Foster a culture of belonging, well-being and engagement in our shared mission, vision, values and strategic goals.

Strategic Goal #1: Offer personalized services that help people of all ages choose where and how they receive care.  

The Action Plan: 

  • Provide timely responses for eligibility assessments, case management and community transitions to individuals of all ages, according to their preferences.  
  • Partner with the Long-Term Services and Supports Trust Commission, Employment Security Department, Health Care Authority, and State Office of the Actuary to implement the WA Cares pilot program in early 2026, deliver benefits in July 2026 and implement post-launch improvements by June 2027.  
  • Identify and test technologies that complement the Home and Community Living service delivery system, expand client options and support self-determination.  
  • Restructure the Developmental Disabilities Community Services’ Home and Community Based Settings waiver services to increase awareness of available supports across the lifespan.  

Success Measure: 

  • 1.1.1: Maintain the percentage of Long-Term Services and Supports clients served in home and community-based settings at or above 91% annually.  
  • 1.1.2: Maintain case management for at least 500 individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing annually.  
  • 1.1.3: Increase the quarterly percentage of clients transitioned from acute care hospitals in less than 30 days, from the date of referral to Home and Community Services, consistently from 75% to 80% through June 2027.  
  • 1.1.4: Secure additional funding to reduce financial eligibility caseloads (via budget packages supporting eligibility staffing) by June 2026.  
  • 1.2: Achieve full WA Cares program launch through 1) completion of pilot MVP rules, policies and procedures by December 31, 2025; 2) completion of hiring/retention for headquarters staff (90% by July 2026, 95% by January 2027) and regional staff (95% by July 2026), and 3) complete registration of 75% of providers required by April 1, 2026.  
  • 1.3: Increase Home and Community Services’ and Developmental Disabilities Community Services’ authorization of assistive devices supporting independent living for eligible clients by 25% by June 2026.  
  • 1.4: Increase Developmental Disabilities Community Services’ utilization of waiver services by 10% by June 2026.  
  • 1.5: Improve client experience and access to services by modernizing and reducing the number of Developmental Disability Community Services waivers by September 2027.  

Strategic Goal #2: Uphold and protect client independence, health, safety and rights.  

The Action Plan: 

  • Conduct timely inspections and investigations of complaints to support safety and improve regulatory compliance in facilities and agencies providing residential care.  
  • Respond timely to reports of abuse, neglect, self-neglect, abandonment and exploitation and conduct quality and timely investigations.  
  • Integrate technology solutions like remote options and enabling devices into complement the service options and delivery.  
  • Improve access to behavioral health supports for individuals with Intellectual Developmental Disabilities.  
  • Establish systems and practices that align with future federal requirements and comply with administrative policies for reporting critical incidents and grievances in community-based settings.  

Success Measure: 

  • 2.1: Demonstrate timeliness of re-inspections in nursing homes, assisted living facilities and adult family homes, licensed, and certified long-term care providers to achieve 65% of inspections completed timely by June 2026, 75% by June 2027 and 85% by June 2028.  
  • 2.2: Increase the percentage of Adult Protective Services investigations of adult abuse and neglect completed within 90 days from 75% to 80% by June 2026.  
  • 2.3: Make remote caregiving accessible to all clients served by home care agencies who are offering remote caregiving services, starting in 2026.  
  • 2.4: Establish behavioral health referral escalation baseline data and set Fiscal Year 2027 reduction target by June 2026.  
  • 2.5: Establish grievance system by July 1, 2026, and critical incident reporting system by July 1, 2027.  

Strategic Goal #3: Engage partners to increase access to coordinated services and improve customer experience.  

The Action Plan: 

  • Collaborate with Home and Community Living Administration’s statewide agency partners, Tribal Governments, community partners and advocates to plan and implement HR1 bill response.  
  • Collaborate with Tribal Governments, our clients and their support networks, and Home and Community Living partners / community advocates to develop culturally relevant and person-centered policies, processes and practices.  
  • Lead multi-sector planning efforts to prepare for impacts of aging and longevity by collaborating with state agencies, leveraging advisory councils and commissions and facilitating Age- and Dementia-Friendly state planning and community engagement.  
  • Establish quarterly Regional Collaborative Forums, building upon the success of existing statewide Developmental Disabilities Community Services collaboration with the Legislative Report Community Collaborators, Family Advisory Council and Self-advocates Advisory Council to gather feedback and implement program and policy improvements.  
  • Ensure Home and Community Living Administration websites meet digital accessibility standards.  
  • Strengthen external partnerships and community collaborations to expand equitable statewide access to affordable, accessible housing and other Intellectual / Developmental Disabilities-specific funding opportunities, including the Dan Thompson Memorial Trust and Housing Trust Fund.  

Success Measure: 

  • 3.1: Complete HR1 analysis and implement necessary system changes by June 2026.  
  • 3.2: Maintain community participation in Lived Experience Advisory groups through June 2027; Maintain 8 Service Experience Team members through June 2026; Establish Youth Advisory Committee by June 2026.  
  • 3.3.1: Establish plan for authorization of a multi-sector plan by December 2026.  
  • 3.3.2: Deliver Age- and Dementia-Friendly state action plan recommendations by June 2026.  
  • 3.4: Once established in late 2025, and after each regular quarterly Regional Collaborative Forum, Developmental Disabilities Community Services’ regional leaders will provide direct, formal written response to concerns and ideas provided by the community.  
  • 3.5: Meet Federal Accessibility Requirements for website content by April 2026.  
  • 3.6: Increase number of Dan Thompson Memorial Trust and Housing Trust Fund applicants and awardees through targeted outreach, by January 2027.  

Strategic Goal #4: Strengthen the direct care workforce.  

The Action Plan: 

  • Continue collaboration with Workforce Training Board, providers and labor to strengthen recruitment, as well as retention of direct care workers.  
  • Implement virtual and hybrid training models in the high school home care aide program to improve reach and accessibility and expand person-centered training and supports so that the direct care workforce and provider network is capable of meeting complex client needs.  
  • Modernize the rate system for children, youth and adults to ensure payment accuracy and transparency that aligns with federal standards in residential settings.  

Success Measure: 

  • 4.1.1: Increase the number of high schools, skills centers and compact schools contracted and / or delivering home aide certifications training to 15 during the 2025-27 biennium.  
  • 4.1.2: Maintain quarterly average of 45 home care aides or nursing assistants hired, who become employed after navigator support.  
  • 4.1.3 Maintain member participation in Direct care Worker Collaborative at 14 members through June 2026.  
  • 4.1.4: Increase Room and Care provider utilization by 20% by June 2026 through continued development and deployment of an enhanced digital platform that simplifies the process of finding and comparing service options.  
  • 4.2 In partnership with Your Washington, finalize human-centered design, pilot and adopt a standardized onboarding framework and toolkit for Developmental Disabilities Community Services contracted providers by June 2026.  
  • 4.3.1: Assess Developmental Disabilities Community Services service request baseline data and establish geographic and service-type provider network capacity and access success measures by June 2026.  
  • 4.3.2: Implement Centers for Medicaid Services access rule payment adequacy reporting by July 2028 and meet payment adequacy requirements by July 2030.  

  

Strategic Goal #5: Foster a culture of belonging, well-being and engagement in our shared mission, vision, values and strategic goals.  

The Action Plan: 

  • Attract and retain employees through recruitment / onboarding / succession planning efforts and professional development activities to support belonging, well-being and engagement.  
  • Ensure participation and alignment in agency workforce and community initiatives to advance delivery of effective government services for the people we serve.  
  • Support staff professional development by expanding opportunities to free, high-quality learning opportunities and ensuring accessibility support.  
  • Engage staff in workgroups to evaluate the design and delivery of Home and Community Living services and supports to improve customer experience.  

Success Measure: 

  • 5.1: Increase the positive Home and Community Living response to the Department of Social and Health Services survey question, “I feel as if I belong at my agency” from 60% to 63% by January 2026.  
  • 5.2: Increase the positive Home and Community Living response to the Department of Social and Health Services survey question, “My agency supports employee well-being" from 71% to 73% by January 2026.  
  • 5.3: Establish a baseline percentage for Home and Community Living response to the Department of Social and Health Services new 2025 survey question, “I am encouraged to find and suggest ways to make it easier for those my agency serves to use my agency / institution’s programs and services and add target measure by January 2026.  
  • 5.4: Increase the positive Home and Community Living response to the Department of Social and Health Services survey question, “I can see a clear link between my work and my agency’s vision” from 68% to 70% by January 2026.