STATE OF WASHINGTON

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL AND HEALTH SERVICES

Aging and Long-Term Support Administration

Home and Community Services Division

PO Box 45600, Olympia, WA 98504-5600

H17-057 – Policy & Procedure

July 5, 2017

TO: / Home and Community Services (HCS) Division Regional Administrators
Area Agency on Aging (AAA) Directors
Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA)
FROM: / Kathy Morgan, Acting Director, Home and Community Services Division
Don Clintsman, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Developmental Disabilities Administration
SUBJECT: / Change in the basic training requirements for DDA Respite Individual Providers
PURPOSE: / To notify the field of the reduction in basic training requirements for Individual Providers who provide only Respite services to DDA clients.
BACKGROUND: / Engrossed House Bill (EHB) 1322 was adopted by the legislature and signed by the Governor. The new law reduces the required number of basic training hours for only DDA Respite providers from 30 hours to 9 hours. Basic training hours still need to be completed within 120 days of hire. The requirement to complete 30 hours of training continues for all other categories of Individual Providers where this applies.
WHAT’S NEW, CHANGED, OR CLARIFIED: / EHB 1322 becomes effective July 23, 2017. This means any DDA-only respite provider, whose 120-day deadline is after July 22, 2017, will be required to complete 9 hours of basic training instead of 30 hours. The Training Partnership will identify these Individual Providers as being compliant with basic training requirements if they:
(1)  Completed 5 hours of Orientation and Safety training; (2) Complete 9 hours within 120 days of hire; (3) provide DDA respite services only; and (4) work 300 hours or fewer in a calendar year.
The new law does not make any other changes to the training requirements for DDA respite providers. If these providers work more than 300 respite hours in a calendar year, their training requirement will be converted to the standard 70-hour basic training requirement for Individual Providers, and they will be required to become certified Home Care Aides. They will have 120 days from the point they work over 300 hours in a calendar year to complete the 70 hour training and 200 days from this same point to become certified as a Home Care Aide.
ACTION: / Staff will inform any newly contracted Individual Providers, who are only providing DDA respite services, that effective July 23, 2017, 9 hours of basic training must be completed within 120 days of hire.
Those IPs whose 120th day is before July 23, 2017 will be paid for the required training they have completed, which must be 30 hours. IPs whose 120-day deadline is July 23rd or later (if they completed 9 or more basic training hours), will be considered to have met the new requirements and will not be required to finish all 30 hours. These IPs will be paid for all hours completed.
After July 22, staff may authorize only 9 hours of basic training on the Individual Providers training authorization in IPOne. Authorize 9 hours using service code SA540. The start date will match the start date of the respite authorization, and the end date is the due date reported by the Training Partnership.
Until July 23, 2017, DDA respite providers must contact the Training Partnership Member Resource Center at 1-866-371-3200 to enroll in the 9-hour basic training class. After that date, they will be able to enroll online.
RELATED REFERENCES: / N/A
ATTACHMENT(S): / N/A
CONTACT(S): / Leslie Kennedy
Unit Manager, Training, Communications, Development & Quality Assurance, ALTSA HCS
(360) 725-2558

Brad McFadden
Program Manager, Training Unit Training Partnership, ALTSA HCS
(360) 725-2563

Peggy Dotson
Individual Provider Program Manager, DDA
(360) 407-1515

Kim Calkins
Personal Care ETR Coordinator, DDA
(360) 407-1552