Urge Governor Ferguson to Protect AFH Funding!

Take Action TODAY!

The 2025 legislative session has concluded, but Governor Ferguson has until Saturday, May 17 to sign the budget. This gives us a small but mighty window to fight! We need your help to urge the Governor to veto specific sections of the budget that would:

• End Meaningful Day Services for new residents.

• Raise annual licensing fees to unsustainable levels ($450 per bed).

• Divert funds from the Civil Penalty Account away from AFHs.

Please urge Governor Ferguson  to protect critical funding for adult family homes that impacts our livelihood and our residents. Your voice matters. The future of our homes—and the future of those we serve—depends on it. Get emails and a template at the link below.

There’s a WAC for That!

Orientation & Safety Training Updates

Ensuring your staff is well-prepared to deliver safe, compassionate care starts with strong orientation and safety training. This newsletter provides essential updates and guidance on meeting training requirements—and how you can take the lead in delivering your own approved training program.

There’s a WAC for That!

Ensuring Compliance With Preliminary Service Plans

Are you aware that you are required to have a Preliminary Service Plan for your residents? According to WAC 388-76-10340, adult family homes must ensure that each resident has a preliminary service plan. Learn what needs to be included, private pay and Medicaid differences, and a template to create your own plan.

LTCF Summer 2025 Survey

We Want to Help You Build Your Care Team!

Our mission is to champion the adult family home community and the best way for us to do that is by helping you build and support your team! Our programs are designed to provide funding for required training and to provide education to help you develop your workforce and retain great caregivers!

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Please take a few moments to answer our short survey in order to help us provide you and your care team with the best trainings, resources and support possible!

Older Americans Month 2025

Celebrated every May, Older Americans Month (OAM) is led by the Administration for Community Living (ACL). Established in 1963, OAM is a time to recognize older Americans’ contributions, highlight aging trends, and reaffirm commitments to serving the older adults in our communities. This year’s theme, “Flip the Script on Aging,” focuses on the importance of combating ageism to transform how society perceives, talks about, and approaches aging by challenging stereotypes and highlighting the benefits of healthy aging.

2025 Legislative Session Overview

As the 2025 legislative session draws to a close, we want to take a moment to reflect — with gratitude, pride, and determination. This legislative session was not easy. In fact, it is the toughest we’ve seen in over a decade. Programs were cut, services were slashed, and every line item was on the chopping block. Yet, you showed up. You stood together. And because of that, we made meaningful progress that would not have been possible without your advocacy, your passion, and your voice. Get the update on what we’ve gained, what to expect, and the obstacles we’ll be facing as we position ourselves for the next session in our update.

Tai Ji Quan Moving for Better Balance Scholarships

In an effort to spread the evidence based Fall Prevention Program Tai Ji Quan Moving for Better Balance (TJQMBB) in Washington State, DOH has funds to provide scholarships for TJQMBB Instructor training. I want to draw your attention to this opportunity while we have funding. Please pass this information to your Lewis, Mason, Thurston County Fall Prevention Coalition and encourage potential instructors to apply online for a scholarship. Apply now to get started. No Tai Chi experience necessary!

Upcoming Webinar:

Supported Employment for Your Residents

June 11, 2025 @ 2pm

This training will demonstrate the benefits of employment for individuals with disabilities living at your facility who have a desire to work. It will cover the myths and misconceptions around our clients who would like to work. We are going to dispel those myths and explain how our clients can work, enrich their lives from community engagement, improve their health, yet maintain services with us and not lose their important benefits.

Upcoming TBI Support Groups & Events

The “Heading Forward” Bulletin will now provide two monthly bulletins: one focused on upcoming TBI support groups and events, and one focused on community connections to TBI resources and partners. Get information on upcoming support groups and events at our newsletter linked below.

Updated ProviderOne Billing Guides — Coming Soon

DSHS and the Health Care Authority (HCA) have been updating and consolidating ProviderOne billing guides. The new guides will be published to the ProviderOne for Social Services webpage within the next couple of months. Providers will be notified via email when the new guides are available. After the guides are published, DSHS & HCA will also host trainings for AFH providers to review the new guides, and review ProviderOne basics. More information about these trainings soon!

Real ID Travel Requirements Effective May 7

Starting May 7, 2025, all travelers flying within the United States or visiting certain federal facilities must present a REAL ID-compliant form of identification. Standard Washington driver licenses and ID cards will no longer be accepted to board domestic flights or enter some federal buildings. This is part of the federal REAL ID Act, which sets minimum security standards for state-issued IDs and driver licenses. Please review the information at our AFH News post to ensure you are prepared and have appropriate travel documents.

Long-Term Care Ombuds Roster

Updated April 9, 2025

The Washington State Long-Term Care Ombuds have published an updated roster of their regional ombuds. These independent advocates work to protect the rights, safety, and well-being of residents in long-term care by investigating concerns, resolving complaints, and promoting high standards of care.

Maintaining strong communication with your ombuds promotes partnership in supporting and addressing our residents’ needs. To view the updated roster, click the button below. Thank you for your continued commitment to resident advocacy and quality care!

There’s a WAC for That!

HCA Training and Certification Requirements

Home care aide (HCS) certificates are a hot topic – what are the rules for obtaining a certificate while working as a caregiver? Well, There’s a WAC for that! More specifically… there are multiple WACs for that. Get definitions for key terms like “Direct Supervision” and learn about requirements for HCA training and certification at our newsletter!

Reimagining DSHS

Message from Acting Secretary

A letter from DSHS Acting Secretary Cheryl Strange explains a plan to “realign and restructure DSHS in a way that measurably improves people’s experiences with our department.” This plan includes changes to the DSHS organizational structure and new goals, such as creating a Behavioral Health and Habilitation Administration. Read the full letter at the link below.

Celebrate Residents’ Rights Month!
Resident’s Voice Challenge with National Consumer Voice

October is Residents’ Rights Month. In celebration, the Resident’s Voice Challenge offers an exciting opportunity for your residents to express their thoughts on residents’ rights through essays, poems, artwork, and videos. This is a great way to engage your residents, showcase your AFH’s commitment to honoring residents’ rights, and make a positive impact on a national level. Read the full AFH News post for more details on how you can get involved and engage your residents!

Get updates on critical dear provider letters below. To see all letters, visit ALTSA’s page.

Guidance on Immigration Enforcement Operations in Long-Term Care Settings Revised
March 10, 2025

This Dear Provider Letter clarified that RCS does not require knowledge of citizenship status for clients or staff in AFHs. The letter also shares links to immigration resources. Read the letter here.

Investigation And Referral Process For Allegations

Unrelated To Physical Or Sexual Abuse
December 6, 2024

This Dear Provider Letter shares an update to APS’s policy: they will now only investigate allegations of sexual abuse and physical abuse with substantial injury.  The letter also explains what is classified as a “substantial injury.” Read the letter here.

Updated Community Behavioral
Health Support (CBHS) Guidance

The guidance for Community Behavioral Health Support (CBHS) Supervision services was updated in February 2025. Please review the guidance published by the Health Care Authority and DSHS for more information on claims submissions deadlines and documentation requirements. Please note: the AFH Council is working to understand the full scope of CBHS changes and is engaging in conversations with the Health Care Authority and DSHS. We will provide additional updates as soon as we have them.

Changes to Residential Support Waiver (RSW)

DSHS recently released a Dear Provider letter outlining changes to the Residential Support Waiver (RSW) scheduled to start July 1, 2025. Services under RSW include Expanded Community Support (ECS) and Specialized Behavior Support (SBS). The state is shifting how it pays for behavioral health support to leverage better federal participation and reduce state costs, which means that SBS and ECS will no longer be the primary program for serving residents needing behavioral or mental health support.

The AFH Council was specifically told that current RSW clients would remain on RSW, and only new residents would begin CBHS— but this letter states they intend to begin converting all eligible residents now. Read our latest AFH News post to learn more about the impact and how we are working to address this information.

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