SB 5504 Washington Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Supporting caregivers who provide complex care services to children with heightened medical needs.

SB 5504 would allow Washington Medicaid to pay family caregivers (parents, guardians, or close relatives) for providing complex medical care to children under 18 with high medical needs, as part of existing private duty nursing coverage. To qualify, caregivers must complete 75+ hours of training from an accredited home health agency, receive RN supervision, and work through a licensed home health agency. The bill requires the state health authority to seek federal approval for this payment change by December 2025 and report on feasibility by January 2026. It expires December 31, 2026, and directly affects families caring for medically fragile children covered by Medicaid.

Issues: ✓ Healthcare

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 12, 2026 Last action Jan 12, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Bill → Substitute Bill · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was renumbered and its title updated to reflect a new expiration date. The core policy shifted from an immediate implementation starting in 2026 to a phased approach requiring a feasibility report by early 2026. Additionally, the bill now explicitly expires on December 31, 2026, limiting the duration of the new caregiver payment program.

Scope change

The bill's scope changed from a permanent or indefinite program to a temporary one with a specific expiration date of December 31, 2026.

TIMELINE

The implementation timeline was delayed; the authority must now submit a feasibility status report to the legislature by January 1, 2026, before proceeding with the program.

A specific expiration date was added, stating that the new section and program will expire on December 31, 2026.

REQUIREMENT

The requirement for the authority to seek a state plan amendment was moved from a future implementation step to a prerequisite feasibility study due to the new expiration date.

TECHNICAL

The bill number was updated from S-0685.1 to S-1784.1, and the title was amended to include the new expiration provision.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Jan 12, 2026

Introduced

By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.

upper

Feb 28, 2025

Upper · Passed

Executive session scheduled, but no action was taken in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 1:30 PM.

upper

Feb 26, 2025

Upper · Passed

Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 1:30 PM.

upper

Feb 21, 2025

Committee

Referred to Ways & Means.

upper

Feb 21, 2025

Committee

And refer to Ways & Means.

upper

Feb 21, 2025

Upper · Passed

Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Health & Long-Term Care at 8:00 AM.

upper

Feb 11, 2025

Upper · Passed

Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Health & Long-Term Care at 10:30 AM.

upper

1 primary · 5 co-sponsors