AGING AND DISABILITY SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
AASA BH No. 98-002
RE: Transition Information
April 9, 1998
Dear Boarding Home Provider:
Effective April 1, 1998 all quality assurance activities including licensing, technical assistance and complaint investigation/resolution for boarding homes will be carried out by Aging and Disability Services Administration (AASA). Within AASA, the division responsible for these activities is Residential Care Services (RCS).
A plan has been developed to implement these changes which includes the following:
- Integration of boarding home licensing with other licensing activities done by local community services quality assurance offices.
- A training plan has been developed for DOH staff who are transferring and new staff. There will be involvement of the ombudsman office as well as provider associations in the training.
- A design of resident centered licensing process with emphasis on technical assistance to prevent poor resident outcomes.
- Development of an effective, responsive complaint intake and resolution system.
- Implementation of enforcement procedures which protects resident and gives full due process to providers.
The provider associations will be participating in the state staff training by volunteering to provide training sites. We will also work with providers as we develop our inspection processes. We plan to involve providers in our program development, open educational offering and WAC building activities.
I am expecting a two-month transition period while adjustments to the organizational structure are made and hiring and training activities are completed. During the month of April, limited staff will be available for initial licensing or contracting visits. If you have questions or have a special circumstance please call Lamona Foster at (360) 407-0099.
I have included an organizational chart of the existing and planned Community Services Quality Assurance offices. Each facility is assigned to an area office. Each area office will have staff dedicated to boarding home licensure inspections, adult family home licensure, and complaint investigations. We will be sending you a more detailed organization chart with appropriate phone numbers when it is finalized. When the transition is complete you will be notified of which area manager you will be working with. Until that time please direct your questions to Lamona Foster at (360) 407-0099.
All complaint calls will be now received by AASA Complaint Hotline #1-800-562-6078 including facility self reporting. You will need to display the AASA Complaint Hotline poster in a place accessible to residents and consumers. Please remove the present information listing a DOH complaint number and replace it with the enclosed AASA Complaint Hotline Poster. If you need additional posters, you may obtain one by faxing your request to (360) 438-7903 or by calling Lamona Foster at (360) 407-0099.
Jan Thomson is my administrator of the boarding home transition project. Either Jan or I am available to meet with provider groups or answer questions about the development of the program. If you have any questions about the transition, please contact her at (360) 493-2970 or me at (360) 493-2560.
I look forward to working with you to achieve safe, healthy, and meaningful lives for boarding home residents.
Sincerely,
Patricia Lashway, Director
Residential Care Services
Enclosures (Word Format)
cc: Janyce Thomson
Lamona Foster
Denny McKee
