Supplemental Budget Slated for Release This Week

Governor Jay Inslee is slated to release his 2025 supplemental operating budget this week. The proposal, one of three that will be considered by the Legislature in adopting a 2025 supplemental budget, will update the state’s two-year operating proposal, including Medicaid funding for the period of July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025. Both the House and Senate will also offer proposals.

Our advocacy work with the Governor’s Office of Financial Management was in close alignment with the DSHS proposals for skilled nursing and assisted living funding and policy advanced to the Governor for consideration. Some of these proposals were debuted during recent legislative work sessions, including the Aging and Disability Joint Legislative and Executive Committee hearing last week.  Here is ALTSA Assistant Secretary Bea Rector’s slide presentation to the committee.

In brief:

AL and Dementia Care Stability– $56,987,000 ($26,441,000 GFS) to increase provider rates for assisted living and dementia care clients.
Statutory support for implementing the CMS Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM) for skilled nursing centers.
Maintain funding for the SNF maintenance level rebate and inflation funding allocated in 2023.
We hope to see the Governor’s budget reflect those priorities. We will provide a detailed analysis of the Governor’s supplemental proposal in our first Capital Update of the 2024 legislative session, which convenes on January 8 for 60 days.