Washington is the first state in the country to create a public long-term-care insurance program -- here is how the WA Cares Fund works, who can use it, and how it fits into a Puget Sound family plan.
By Marcus Reyes, LSW · June 30, 2026
The WA Cares Fund is a first-of-its-kind state long-term-care program funded through a small payroll contribution from most Washington workers. Starting in 2026, eligible workers can draw on the benefit -- up to $36,500 (indexed to inflation) -- when they need help with at least three activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, medication management, or mobility. That money can go toward the cost of professional care, including in a licensed assisted-living community or adult family home, in-home care, or a range of support services.
The benefit is a lifetime maximum, not an annual amount. For context, $36,500 covers roughly four to six months of care at Puget Sound assisted-living rates of $6,000-$8,000 per month. It is not designed to fund years of care on its own, but it is a real, earned asset that can bridge the gap at a critical transition or extend the time a family member can be cared for at home.
Most W-2 employees in Washington who have worked enough qualifying hours are covered. The funding comes from a payroll deduction of 0.58% of wages. Self-employed workers may opt in. Workers who purchased a qualifying private long-term-care insurance policy during the original exemption window before November 2021 may have received a permanent exemption and should verify their status with the Washington Employment Security Department.
Veterans receiving a VA service-connected disability rating of 70% or higher, as well as spouses and registered domestic partners of active-duty service members, also qualify for exemption under certain conditions. Given the large military and veteran population around Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Naval Base Kitsap, this exemption is especially relevant for Pierce and Kitsap County families. Part-time workers, domestic employees, and workers under 18 or over 55 at program launch face different rules, so individual verification matters.
To draw on the benefit, a worker must have contributed for at least ten years with no gap of five or more consecutive years, or for three of the last six years. Applications go through the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), the same agency that handles COPES waiver enrollment and adult family home licensing. A functional needs assessment confirms the qualifying level of impairment.
The benefit is intentionally flexible. It can pay for professional in-home care, licensed adult family home care, assisted living, memory care, adult day services, respite care for family caregivers, assistive technology, or home modifications such as grab bars and ramps. That breadth of eligible uses is one of the program's practical strengths -- it meets people wherever they are in the care continuum.
WA Cares is a supplement, not a standalone solution. The average stay in assisted living in greater Seattle runs $6,000-$8,000 a month, and memory care runs $7,500-$9,500. The lifetime benefit would stretch roughly four to six months at full assisted-living rates, or longer if combined with in-home care or the lower cost of a licensed adult family home -- typically $4,500-$7,000 a month in the Puget Sound region. Smart planning layers WA Cares with VA Aid and Attendance for eligible veterans, Apple Health's COPES waiver for those who qualify financially, and private savings or long-term-care insurance.
For workers who will need care in Washington and who have no private coverage, the WA Cares Fund is an automatic earned asset worth understanding now, not at the point of crisis. Critically, drawing on WA Cares benefits does not affect Apple Health or COPES eligibility the way some private insurance payouts might, making it genuinely complementary to Medicaid planning.
A free senior-care advisor familiar with Puget Sound communities can help families layer WA Cares alongside other benefits and identify the assisted-living communities and adult family homes that fit both the level of care and the available budget -- before urgency forces a rushed decision.
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