WHCA Tackles Home Care Aide Certification Barriers

Washington Health Care Association is actively addressing barriers faced by home care aide candidates (HCAs) who want to work in assisted living and community-based care settings. Despite completing the required 75-hour training, HCAs struggle to get credentialed within the statutory 200-day window due to testing challenges. These include test site unavailability, frequent cancellations, and unaccommodating conditions, which hinder accessibility and performance. Even before COVID-19, only one-third of applicants received timely testing.

Senator Ron Muzzall (R-10) has prioritized this issue with legislation (SSB 5672) that removes the 200-day timeline and allows the Department of Health to extend the certification timeline through emergency rules. The bill is now headed to the Governor’s Office for signature.

On Monday, WHCA representatives and other stakeholders met with Dr. Sasha DeLeon, assistant secretary of the Department of Health, and Bea Rector, assistant secretary of DSHS, to urge action on this issue. The Department of Health has agreed to expedite emergency rulemaking, collaborate with DSHS to communicate with applicants and employers, and establish ongoing meetings to identify program improvements.

Special thanks to Allison Lally of Brookdale Senior Living for her advocacy. Allison has spearheaded a pilot program integrating testing into training programs, yielding great results. Her experience is central to this effort.