Rep. Peter Abbarno, R-Centralia, said in a news release this week that changes to the state’s new long-term care insurance program could hurt part-time and seasonal workers.
On Tuesday, the Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Trust Commission recommended several changes to the program, including an increase in the number of hours of work needed in a year to benefit from the program from 500 to 1,000.
A spokesperson for the Washington State House Republicans said Friday morning the recommendations would be forwarded to the Legislature for consideration in the 2024 session.
"At a time when families in Washington are struggling to afford gas, groceries, housing and childcare — those kitchen table issues that affect most of us — the last thing we need is state government creating more economic uncertainty," Abbarno stated in the release Thursday. "This change would make a bad program worse."
Most workers in Washington began paying up to .58 cents per $100 of earnings into the WA Cares Fund. Qualified individuals will receive up to a $36,500 benefit from the program beginning in 2026.
The Legislature adopted the Long-Term Care Services and Supports Program in 2019, though Abbarno and every other Republican in the state House voted against it. In an advisory vote in November 2019, 63% of Washington voters said the Legislature should repeal the tax used to fund the program.
