WA Cares Fund: Washington's Long-Term Care Insurance in 2026

Washington became the first state in the country to create a publicly funded long-term care insurance program when it passed the WA Cares Act. Benefits began paying out on July 1, 2026, and the program is now live — meaning eligible residents can access up to $36,500 in lifetime benefits to cover long-term care costs.

For families navigating an aging parent's care needs, WA Cares represents a new funding source that sits alongside Medicaid, private insurance, and out-of-pocket savings. Here's how it actually works.

Who Qualifies

To receive WA Cares benefits, a person must meet two conditions:

Contribution history. The program is funded through a payroll premium of $0.58 per $100 of wages. To be eligible for benefits, a worker must have paid into the program for either 10 years without a gap of five or more consecutive years, or three of the last six years before filing a claim. Workers who were 18 or older on January 1, 2022 have a near-retirement exception: they can qualify with just one year of contributions.

Functional need. The claimant must need assistance with at least three activities of daily living (bathing, dressing, eating, transferring, toileting, medication management) for a period expected to last 90 days or more.

Self-employed individuals can opt into the program voluntarily. People who purchased qualifying private long-term care insurance before November 1, 2021 could apply for an exemption from the payroll premium.

What the $36,500 Covers

The lifetime benefit is $36,500 — adjusted annually for inflation. This is a maximum, not a per-year amount. Once the benefit is exhausted, no additional WA Cares funding is available.

The benefit can be used for a wide range of long-term care services:

• Home care — personal care aides, home health services, meal delivery
• Assisted living and adult family home costs — room, board, and care
• Adaptive equipment and home modifications — grab bars, wheelchair ramps, stair lifts
• Family caregiver compensation — including paying a spouse, which is a significant departure from standard Medicaid rules
• Memory care — specialized residential care for dementia
• Transportation to medical appointments and adult day programs

The benefit is paid directly to approved service providers, not as a lump sum to the claimant.

The Spouse Caregiver Exception

Under standard Washington Medicaid programs (CFC and COPES), spouses are strictly prohibited from serving as paid caregivers. The WA Cares Fund changes this. A spouse or domestic partner can be hired as a paid caregiver through the program, though they must complete 15 hours of basic training and 6 hours of focused training within 120 days of hire.

Non-spouse family members hired through WA Cares must complete 35 hours of training within the same window. All caregivers — spouse or otherwise — must pass background checks and work as employees of CDWA or a registered home care agency.

For families where a spouse is already providing daily care unpaid, this opens a real income stream that didn't exist before.

How WA Cares Interacts With Medicaid

WA Cares is not Medicaid, and the two programs have different eligibility rules. A parent can use WA Cares benefits regardless of their income and assets — there's no means test. This makes it particularly valuable for families who earn too much for Medicaid but too little to sustain private-pay care costs indefinitely.

The $36,500 benefit won't cover a full year of assisted living in Washington (median $7,600/month), but it can fund roughly four to five months of residential care, or a longer stretch of part-time home care. For many families, it serves as a bridge — covering the gap between when a parent needs care and when Medicaid eligibility kicks in after a spend-down.

WA Cares and Medicaid use separate eligibility rules. If your parent is pursuing Medicaid at the same time, confirm with DSHS how WA Cares payments or services will be treated in that application.

Applying for Benefits

Claims are filed through Washington's SecureAccess WA system. The application requires documentation of the claimant's contribution history (employment records and payroll history) and functional need under WA Cares; that functional review is separate from the Medicaid CARE assessment.

Processing times and the administrative details are still developing as the program ramps up its first year of active claims. Contact DSHS or your local Area Agency on Aging for current guidance on the application process.

Where WA Cares Fits in the Bigger Picture

WA Cares is one piece of Washington's long-term care funding landscape. For a full walkthrough of how it works alongside Medicaid, private insurance, and Veterans benefits — and how to navigate the CARE assessment, compare care settings, and protect assets — our Washington care decision guide covers the entire process.

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