April 2024 Monthly Newsletter

KD lives with her mother-in-law Kathleen, who has multiple sclerosis and needs in-home care to help with her daily activities. The WA Cares Fund will help reduce the financial burden of paying for long-term care for families like KD's. Learn more.

Webinars:

Join us for a discussion on caring for stroke survivors Tuesday, May 7 from 12-1 p.m. We’ll cover what a stroke is, signs to look for, what stroke treatment and recovery looks like, and resources for stroke survivors and their caregivers.   We’ll also provide an overview of the WA Cares Fund and how it will help stroke survivors and their families in the future. Register today.

ICYMI: Watch the replay of our WA Cares Basics: What Workers Need to Know webinar. Find recording of more past webinars and learn more about upcoming webinars here.

Rulemaking:

The DSHS WA Cares Fund policy team is initiating rulemaking activities for implementing a new chapter of Washington Administrative Code related to the WA Cares Fund program. Register today for our upcoming rulemaking session on May 8 from 2-4 p.m. We will be covering beneficiaries: assessment and contribution.

Find recordings of past meetings and learn more about rulemaking here. If you are interested in receiving notifications for rulemaking activities or joining rulemaking stakeholder meetings, please update your e-mail preferences.

LTSS Trust Commission:

The first LTSS Trust Commission meeting in 2024 is on May 1 from 1-4 pm. You can join the meeting and find any meeting materials here.

Our second Payment Maximums Open Forum is on May 16 from 1-2 pm. We will be discussing Adaptive Equipment and Technology, Environmental Modifications, Home Delivered Meals, and Personal Emergency Response Systems. These will be open to the public. Register today.

Fund Fact: Now you can take your WA Cares benefit with you out of state, thanks to a new law on benefit portability.

Starting in July 2026, any worker who has contributed to WA Cares for at least three years (for 500+ hours per year) and opts in within a year of leaving Washington can choose to continue participating in the program out-of-state.

Like other workers, out-of-state participants will keep contributing to the fund during their working years. The state will create a process for out-of-state participants to report their earnings and pay premiums, with a focus on making it easy for participants. Learn more about taking your benefits with you when you move.

Monthly FAQ: How do I get the latest information on out-of-state coverage?

In the coming years, the WA Cares team will be working on the details of how WA Cares coverage works for out-of-state participants. As we develop policies and processes for these participants, we will provide updates in this newsletter and on our website. We are currently working on updated toolkit materials that include portability information – stay tuned for more!