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State officials say WA Cares benefits will launch next summer; private supplemental market created
Summary
DSHS officials updated the Joint Legislative Executive Committee on Planning for Aging and Disability Issues on the WA Cares Fund rollout, pilot tests and a new framework to allow private supplemental long‑term care insurance to work with the public benefit.
The Department of Social and Health Services told the Joint Legislative Executive Committee on Planning for Aging and Disability Issues that the WA Cares Fund will begin full benefits next July and that the agency is piloting eligibility and payment systems ahead of the launch.
The WA Cares Fund is the state’s public long‑term care benefit. Ben Vechte, director of the WA Cares Fund at DSHS, told the committee the program began premium collection in 2023 and “Workers pay 0.58% of their wages.” He said individuals who become fully eligible can receive benefits “up to $36,500 to use towards long term services and supports of their choice.”
The program started as committee research and was enacted in 2019, Vechte said. He described…
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