S-4202.1
SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6126
State of Washington 68th Legislature 2024 Regular Session
By Senate Human Services (originally sponsored by Senators Kauffman,
Boehnke, Frame, Wellman, Trudeau, Nobles, Conway, Hasegawa, Kuderer,
Lovick, Nguyen, Randall, Saldaña, Valdez, and C. Wilson)
READ FIRST TIME 01/23/24.
1 AN ACT Relating to increasing access to respite care for those
2 with intellectual or developmental disabilities and their caregivers;
3 adding a new section to chapter 71A.12 RCW; and creating a new
4 section.
5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
6 NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that respite care is
7 an essential component of waiver services as it gives much needed
8 breaks to the main caregiver and to the person being cared for with
9 intellectual or developmental disabilities. Respite care is a popular
10 service with a high usage rate, but many people need more respite
11 care in order to live independently in the community and main
12 caregivers need breaks from caregiving.
13 The legislature declares that given the fundamental importance of
14 respite care to both the caregiver and the person being cared for, in
15 addition to the respite care currently offered, the department of
16 social and health services shall add respite care to the aggregate
17 portion of the basic plus and children's intensive in-home behavioral
18 support waiver service so that aggregate funds can be accessed for
19 respite care without prior administrative approval once the annual
20 assessed hours have been exhausted.
p. 1 SSB 6126
 1 NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 71A.12
2 RCW to read as follows:
3 (1) The department shall provide respite care as part of the
4 aggregate services available under both the basic plus waiver and the
5 children's intensive in-home behavioral support waiver.
6 (2) The department may adopt rules as necessary to implement
7 subsection (1) of this section.
8 (3) By July 1, 2025, the department shall submit a waiver
9 amendment to the centers for medicare and medicaid services.
10 (4) The department shall provide information to eligible clients
11 in multiple formats about tracking the use of respite hours as
12 aggregate services.
13 (5) If the waiver amendment is not approved, the department shall
14 notify the appropriate committees of the legislature.
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p. 2 SSB 6126