What to expect during a WA Cares Assessment

To access your WA Cares Fund benefits, you will need to meet both the contribution requirement and care needs requirement.  Your contribution determination letter will tell you if you have met the contribution requirement and the benefit amount you have available. The care needs requirement is confirmed through the care needs assessment.

Maria, Eligibility Program Manager explains, “The purpose of our assessment is to evaluate a person’s long-term care needs to determine if they meet eligibility requirements.” 

During the care needs assessment, we will talk with you about the help you may need with daily activities and whether that need is expected to continue for at least 90 days. 

“In-person assessments are the standard method since they allow assessors to observe your environment and have a more personalized interaction” explains Sun-Young, Benefits Eligibility Program Manager. 

An in-person assessment may take place in your home or at a community setting you prefer. It will be conducted by a WA Cares team member from the Department of Social and Health Services or staff from your local Area Agency on Aging. Care needs assessments may take 90 minutes or longer to complete.

“A trained assessor will meet you in your environment and conduct the assessment. They will ask questions about your healthcare needs and evaluate your ability to complete the activities of daily living” explains Tina Le, Regional Administrator, Region 2.

The daily activities we assess include bathing, bed mobility, eating, medication management, mobility, toileting and transferring.

You'll use your online account to schedule a call with a WA Cares team member to start the assessment process. If you can’t schedule online, please contact us by phone or email. We can provide language assistance and accessibility accommodations during your assessment.

“The first step is an intake call where we will confirm your address, preferred language, accessibility accommodations, and set up the assessment date and time” says Jessie Rangel, Regional Administrator, Region 1.

If eligibility is unclear, assessors may request permission to speak with loved ones and caregivers. After your assessment, will receive a benefit determination letter which includes suggested services and supports based on your assessment.

Terry Redmon, Regional Administrator, Region 3 explains “you can use any covered services and supports, you don’t have to use the suggestions.”

The assessment is a thorough and structured process designed to identify long-term care needs, determine benefit eligibility and a way for the program to provide guidance on services. To learn more about assessments, watch the replay of our webinar. To learn more about WA Cares, visit wacaresfund.wa.gov.