Washingtonians voted twice (most recently in 2011 through Initiative 1163) to protect vulnerable clients by establishing a home care aide certification. Certification requires most people who want to be home care aides to complete 75 hours of training and pass a separate exam.
However, given the continuing shortage of long-term care workers in our state, some people have questioned if this certification is achieving its intended results. Legislators have temporarily paused some requirements until the initiative's effects can be better understood. Our audit is examining the success of this initiative and reviewing the home care aide certification process to determine if any changes might be made to better meet the needs of home care aides and their clients.
Your responses to this questionnaire will help us understand the perspective of Adult Family Homes on the home care aide certification process. We will not report or track your responses, unless you tell the audit team that you would like to talk further. If you would like to participate, please complete the questionnaire by November 15, 2025.
If you have any questions about the audit or this questionnaire, please call Lori Reimann Garretson at 206-767-3199 or email Lori.Garretson@sao.wa.gov.
