Update on HCBS Transition Plans: Washington State
Washington State’s newly revised HCBS Transition Plan makes a number of important steps towards the full integration of people with disabilities into the community. It proposes a four-year plan to transition the state away from the use of sheltered workshops and pre-vocational employment and expands access to supported employment integrated in the community. The plan has eliminated new admissions to prevocational services, as of September 1, 2015, and expects all beneficiaries to be employed or have an individual employment plan. Washington has also created an intricate series of milestones designed to train all staff in the proper implementation of the HCBS rules, which shows Washington’s commitment to the effective implementation of the rule.
The Revised Statewide Transition Plan will be submitted to CMS for review in March 2016.