RCS is seeking input to amend or add rules for Adult Family Homes (AFH), Assisted Living Facilities (ALF), Enhanced Services Facilities (ESF) and Certified Community Residential Services and Supports (CCRSS). They are holding an interested parties meeting on 02/19/26. 

RCS is initiating this rulemaking project to comply with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Home and Community Based Services Access Rule, Critical Incident Reporting. 42 CFR 441.302(a)(6)(i)(A)(5) requires “Assurance that the State operates and maintains an incident management system that identifies, reports, triages, investigates, resolves, tracks, and trends critical incidents”. In preparing for implementation of the federal rules, RCS must update our rules to require reporting to DSHS medication errors meeting the definition of “critical incident”: 

“A medication error resulting in a telephone call to, or a consultation with, a poison control center, an emergency department visit, an urgent care visit, a hospitalization, or death”.

Current regulations for AFH, ALF, ESF and CCRSS do not require reporting of such incidents. The scope of this project is limited to this specific topic.