OLYMPIA – Sen. Steve Conway (D-South Tacoma) has been appointed to serve on the commission that will help administer Washington’s new long-term care benefit program.
The Long-Term Services and Supports Trust Commission will establish rules and policies for the program, which gives residents who need assistance with activities of daily living up to $36,500 for long-term services and supports like caregiving, wheelchair ramps, meal deliveries and nursing home fees.
The Legislature passed House Bill 1087 establishing the first-in-the-nation program during its 2019 session in order to help Washington households deal with the ballooning costs of long-term care. Conway co-sponsored a companion bill in the Senate.
House Bill 1087 passed with bipartisan support and the support of family caregivers, aging and disability advocates, small business owners, long-term care providers, labor unions and consumer rights organizations.
In addition to the newly established long-term care commission, the program will be jointly administered by the Health Care Authority, the Department of Social and Health Services and the Employment Security Department.
