Update from : Aging & Disability Services; Seattle King County Area Agency on Aging
Thanks to effective advocacy from the Advisory Council and aging network partners, there has been a number of wins this legislative session, including:
- Vulnerable adult bill 1153 passed both houses.
- Senior center property tax exemption bill 1526 passed both houses. This will enable senior centers to generate needed revenue through rentals without jeopardizing their tax exempt status.
- Both House and Senate budgets included increases for the Office of Public Guardianship and the Longterm Care Ombuds program, the latter fully restoring cuts from 2012.
As for budgets, the Senate budget includes several “age-friendly” increases, including:
- 2% vendor rate increase, which includes increases for Case Management, Respite and SCSA. While it doesn’t sound like much, in this budget climate, 2% is significant — particularly for SCSA which was diminished during the recession and is a perennial target. The house budget also has a vendor rate increase, but it is more limited and does not extend to AAA programs.
- $3M for nutrition assistance for older adults. The House passed a bill authorizing this assistance, but did not fund in their budget.
- $1.4 M to cover Medicaid hearing aids. The House also passed a bill authorizing this, but did not fund in their budget.
Budget negotiations are underway, which may mean no news for a while. Given the gap between McCleary obligations and revenue, it is unlikely that we’ll have a budget compromise by the end of the session on April 23. We’ll keep you informed as we learn more.
In the meantime, please consider reaching out to your representatives to thank them for their attention to these issues and funding vital community services.
Link to proposed budgets: http://leap.leg.wa.gov/leap/archives/index_budgetsp.asp