Vote PRO on HB 2347!

February 1, 2024 Update HB 2347 was unanimously passed out of Committee and is on its way to the Senate! We will have another opportunity to express our support for this bill before it is voted on again. Watch the vote below: https://youtu.be/2yFDaTf5tZY January 26, 2024 Update HB 2347 is now scheduled for an executive […]

Long-Term Care Updates From the Department of Health

Long-Term Care Updates From the Department of Health Please see the below message from the Washington State Department of Health: Thank you for your ongoing work to protect your congregate communities from vaccine preventable diseases. We are grateful for your continued partnership in this effort. Below are some updates for long-term care providers: Long-Term Care […]

HB 1859 Threatens the Home-like Environment of AFHs

HB 1859 Threatens the Home-like Environment of AFHs​ January 19, 2024 Update Thank you all for being so engaged in voting! A total of 1,602 people voted CON on HB 1859 out of 2,795 votes. Unfortunately, the Council did not get the opportunity to testify during the hearing today. The hearing was suspended and moved […]

Vote PRO on HB 2015!

House Bill 2015 allows DSHS to complete the first inspection for a home looking to expand to their seventh or eighth bed as soon as they receive the application if the home has met the necessary requirements. Vote pro to show your support!

Update on Medicaid Referrals

In 2023 DSHS launched a “request for proposal” (RFP) to identify a technology vendor to assist case managers in communicating with adult family homes when seeking placement for a potential resident. Currently, that contract is held by AIDA. The RFP was launched, and an apparently successful bidder was identified. Many providers were aware that GoldenSherpa […]

2023 Executive Board Election Results

AFH COUNCIL EXECUTIVE BOARD ELECTION RESULTS The results of our annual Executive Board Election are in! This year, three positions were up for re-election: Region One Delegate (Adams, Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, Grant, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane and Whitman Counties) Region Four Delegate (King County) At Large Delegate (Statewide) We saw record-breaking participation from our membership […]

Last Phase for the Temporary Medicaid Rate Increase for COVID

During the public health emergency DSHS added a temporary rate increase to AFHs and other long term care settings serving residents whose care is paid by Medicaid. Currently the COVID rate add-on is $5.58/day. On January 1, 2024 the rate will decrease to $2.79/day. This rate will remain in place until June 30, 2024 when […]

2024 AFH Council Lobby Day Registration is Open!

REGISTRATION FOR LOBBY DAY IS NOW CLOSED. Please consider joining us for our next annual Lobby Day in 2025! WHEN: TUESDAY, JANUARY 30 8:00am — 4:30pm WHERE: THE UNITED CHURCHES OF OLYMPIA 110 11th Ave SE, Olympia, WA 98501 What is Lobby Day? Lobby Day is an annual event scheduled during the legislative session that […]

2023 AFH Council Executive Board Election

AFH COUNCIL EXECUTIVE BOARD ELECTION Election will close at 5pm on December 22, 2023. The AFH Executive Board Election has begun! This election takes place every year, when one-third of the board’s terms come to an end. The board’s main purpose is to ensure that the Council: 1. Achieves appropriate results for the membership at […]

AFH Heat Pump Pilot Program Update

AFH Heat Pump Pilot Program Update During the 2023 legislative session, adult family homes were awarded $5 million from the Climate Commitment Account to administer grants to eligible third-party administrators for heat pumps. The Washington State Department of Commerce, through the WSU Energy Program’s Community Energy Efficiency Program (CEEP), has partnered with the Sustainable Living […]

WAC Update: Commercial and Professional Liability Insurance Requirements

WAC Update: Commercial and Professional Liability Insurance Requirements During the quarterly RCS-AFH Provider Forum on November 15th, Colleen Jensen, the RCS AFH Policy Program Manager, shared that there is a new requirement for AFHs to have both commercial and professional liability insurance. We’ve received several calls and emails where providers are confused about these requirements. […]