Washington State Improving Credentialing Backlog for Home Care Aides

The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has acknowledged the challenges posed by the current backlog in credentialing for home care aides. This backlog, exacerbated by waivers during the COVID-19 pandemic, has allowed caregivers to work beyond the 200-day limit without completing the credentialing process. Some pending applications date back to 2020 and are undergoing review under the COVID-19 public health emergency rules.

To address these issues, efforts are underway with partners at the Department of Social and Health Services and training/testing providers. Strategies include:

• Credentialing team increasing from seven to twenty-three staff dedicated to processing applications.
• Automatic approval of home care aide applicants to test as soon as the application is received and the ability of applicants to self-schedule testing during their training.
• Adding four additional home care aide testing sites across the state to improve access.
• Forming a workgroup that will pilot moving the home care aide exam into the training programs.
• Forming a workgroup that will revise the home care aide skills exam to make it more relevant for working home care aides and to assist in capturing knowledge to potentially increase pass rates.

Applicants are encouraged to utilize online submission for faster processing and mitigate wait times. The DOH offers assistance to applicants within two weeks of their credentialing deadlines, provided their applications were submitted at the time of hire and are complete with all required documentation.

Individuals can contact the Home Care Aide Program at [email protected] or call 360-236-2700 with questions.