Don't miss out on the home care event of the year! Join us October 28 - 29 at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue Hotel in Washington for the 2024 HCAOA National Home Care Conference. This is your opportunity to connect with hundreds of industry leaders dedicated to advancing home-based care services nationwide.
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Last week, the HCAOA Washington Chapter held an In-Home Services Advocacy Day in Olympia in conjunction with the Home Care Association of Washington and the Washington State Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. More than 40 people attended from all over the state and met with 47 legislators.
Beginning February 29, the Washington State Department of Health announced that Prometric candidates will utilize a new Registration and Scheduling system (IQT) online portal to schedule and, if necessary, pay for their examination fees. A blackout period from February 14 to February 28, will prohibit exam scheduling, so do not submit exam payments to the Department of Health (DOH) after February 13, 2024.
All HCAOA members in Washington are encouraged to register to participate in In-Home Services Advocacy Day to support home care services in Washington. This event is a partnership between the HCAOA Washington Chapter, Home Care Association of WA (HCAW), and WA State Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (WSHPCO) to help educate legislators on the important role that in-home care providers serve in their legislative districts. Washington state has a high-priority bill this year that will convene a palliative care benefit work group with the Office of the Insurance Commissioner to establish a standardized palliative care benefit in the private insurance market as well as coordinate with the Medicaid benefit to assure consistency.
Register for the 2024 HCAOA National Home Care Conference in Seattle, WA, by November 10 and pay 2023 registration rates. The price will increase in 2024, so register today and save!
In Washington state, the new Nursing Assistant skills test went into effect on October 1, 2023. The purpose of the change is to increase access to skills testing following graduation. Graduates will be expected to pass the skills test before registering for the written test, which saves steps and time in the testing and certification process. By 2024, most nursing assistant training programs will provide skills testing routinely after graduation. One of the biggest changes is graduates will no longer register for the skills test on Credentia365 but will continue to use the platform to obtain their Candidate ID number. Recently, the Washington LTSS Trust Commission recommended (see slide 27) that family-funded home care providers be excluded from accessing WA Cares Act funding if they do not have a contract to provide Medicaid services. HCAOA and its Washington Chapter submitted a letter to the Commission expressing its vehement disagreement with the proposal, which you may read by clicking here. Starting September 11, 2023, applicants will no longer use the Department of Health's credentialing process. Instead, they will directly register and pay for exams through Prometric. After submitting their credentialing applications to the Department of Health, applicants will receive email notifications from Prometric to schedule their exams. While English language exam applicants can self-schedule and pay online, those requiring interpreters or special accommodations will still require assistance from a Prometric advocate. The Department of Health will provide training resources, including guides and videos for the new scheduling process, with a voucher system for bulk payments. Prometric's webpage will have updated information as the transition to direct scheduling approaches.
Click here to learn more. WA Cares Fund Premiums Started July 1, 2023, and Quarterly Reporting Begins October 1, 20238/9/2023 The mandatory withholdings for the WA Cares Fund were implemented on July 1, 2023. Originating from the Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Trust Act, signed by Governor Jay Inslee on April 21, 2021, this state-operated long-term care insurance initiative requires employers to deduct premiums from their employees' payrolls, unless proof of exemption is provided. The enactment followed amendments outlined in H.R. 1732 and H.R. 1733, signed by Governor Inslee on January 27, 2022, which postponed and modified the withholding until July 1, 2023.
Member News: Family Resource Home Care Expands Reach with Acquisition of Companion Care, Inc.8/9/2023 Family Resource Home Care has recently completed the acquisition of Companion Care, inc., a home care agency based in Woodinville, WA. The move is in line with Family Resource's strategic expansion plan to cover a substantial portion of the aging population in the Pacific Northwest. The acquisition adds to Family Resource's presence in the Puget Sound region, bringing their total locations to seven in that area and 29 across Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.
Several weeks ago, Washington Gov. Inslee signed into law Senate Bill No. 5123, which will protect prospective employees from discrimination in hiring due to their lawful, off-duty use of marijuana. With this law, Washington will join the growing list of states offering some workplace protections to workers who engage in “off-duty” marijuana use. The new law is not a “go-ahead” for all Washington employees to engage in recreational marijuana use without employment consequences, however. Governor Inslee has emphasized the law does not protect all such use and does not prevent employers from establishing policies regarding a drug-free workplace.
The Washington Aging & Long-Term Support Administration (ALTSA) is seeking public comment on the draft Washington State Plan on Aging for 2023-2027. ALTSA is designated as Washington’s State Unit on Aging to administer the federal programs under the Older Americans Act. ALTSA submits a State Plan on Aging every four years to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living (ACL).
Home care industry leaders and HCAOA members in Washington met last week at the state chapter conference in Seattle to receive updates on several issues impacting the home care industry. State surveyors Lori Heiner and Annalisa Atienza provided detailed insight on surveys and Leslie Emerick, state lobbyist for the chapter, offered a recap of legislative and regulatory activities over the last five months.
If you have not registered for the Washington Chapter Conference on Wednesday, May 17, here are 3 reasons to sign up now.
Beginning January 1, 2023, Washington employers with 15 or more employees will be required to publish, on every job posting, the wage scale or salary range and a "general description of all of the benefits and other compensation to be offered to the hired applicant." They must also provide this information for internal transfers upon request.
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