WA Cares Fund

WA Cares is a state-wide public long-term care insurance program. All working Washingtonians contribute a small percentage of their paycheck into the fund. If/when an individual needs long-term care, they can access their earned benefits of $36,500 (grows over time with inflation) to pay for services. As of July 1, 2026, WA Cares benefits are now available for eligible individuals to access.

Qualifying for WA Cares depends on an individual’s payroll contributions and their care needs. Washington workers have been contributing since July 2023. In the future, most workers will earn access to benefits by contributing to the fund for at least10 years, but you may be able to qualify now using two other pathways:

1. If an applicant contributed for at least three of the past six years when they apply, they can earn the full benefit amount.
2. For recent or near retirees, if an applicant was born before 1968, they can earn partial benefits equal to 10% of the full benefit amount for each year they contributed (for example, if they contributed for two years, they earn 20%, which equals $7,300).

The individual must also have a qualifying long-term care need.

Long-term care is defined as 90 days or longer of needing assistance with three or more activities of daily living, such as:

• Bathing
• Bed mobility
• Transferring (getting in or out of a chair)
• Toileting
• Mobility (walking or moving around)
• Eating
• Managing medications

Covered services through the WA Cares Fund may include (but are not limited to):

• In-home personal care
• Care in a facility
• Home modifications
• Home-delivered meals
• Adaptive equipment and technology

Rural Resources has an on-staff WA Cares Benefits Navigator to assist residents of Stevens, Ferry, Pend Oreille, and Whitman counties to help assess your eligibility and fill out the application for benefits. Contact us today and we can help you navigate the process.