January 5, 2021

WAC 388-437-0005

The proposed adoption of WAC 388-437-0005 will allow the department to adjust food assistance benefit issuances as provided under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6201 Section 2302).

WAC 388-450-0185, 0190, 0195, 388-478-0060

Federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program regulations (7 CFR § 273.9) require the department to use federally prescribed income eligibility standards, which are revised effective October 1 of each year, and make annual adjustments to standard utility allowances.

Chapter 388-112A WAC

The department is proposing to amend WAC 388-112A-0010, and add new sections WAC 388-112A-1292 and WAC 388-112A-1294, as a result of the passage of Senate Bill 5630 in 2013. The department was required to examine whether specialty training categories should be created for adult family homes serving residents with other special needs, such as traumatic brain injury, skilled nursing, or bariatric care. The department, with stakeholder input and involvement, determined that additional training categories are recommended including such topics as traumatic brain injury, bariatric care, and skilled nursing.  The proposed rules would establish the new trainings as optional “expanded specialty training” and set instructor requirements for both facility and community instructors.  Identical language will also need to be added to chapter 388-71 WAC.

WAC 388-71-0515, 0516, 388-106-0010, 0055, 0130

This rule is being proposed to eliminate shared benefits as a status and as a basis to reduce a client’s monthly benefit for in-home personal care, and to require a written agreement for a family or household IP to be assessed as a source of informal support. The rule change will eliminate adjustments to base hours, add-on hours, or any other in-home personal care services benefit that a client would otherwise receive because the IP shares in the benefit of an ADL or IADL provided to the client by the IP, and on the basis that two or more clients in a multi-client household benefit from the same ADL or IADL task(s) being performed.  Any current rule that uses the phrase “shared benefit” or a similar phrase will be amended to remove the phrase and the definition of “informal support” will be amended.