July 2021 | Issue 5
WA Cares Fund: Affordability, choice, peace of mind
Washington is the first state in the nation to develop a public plan that makes long-term care affordable. WA Cares Fund gives members access to a lifetime benefit they can use on a wide range of long-term services and supports—should they need it.
What if my employees already have a long-term care plan?
Workers who hold existing long-term care insurance or purchase a new private policy before Nov. 1, 2021, can apply for an exemption from WA Cares coverage. If workers are approved for an exemption, they will be permanently excluded from WA Cares benefits but they won’t be required to pay premiums.
Workers pay WA Cares premiums only while they’re working—not after retirement.
Private long-term care insurance usually requires payments even if people aren’t working. That can mean making payments while on a fixed income throughout retirement, or even while unemployed. That’s why it’s important for workers to compare the lifetime cost, not annual cost, of private plans vs. WA Cares.
If you have workers considering a WA Cares exemption, encourage them to check out our Exemptions page so they can weigh their options.
Workers with approved exemptions will never be eligible for WA Care benefits. If they decide to apply, applications will be available starting Oct. 1, 2021.
Did you miss it?
- We launched a brand new Learn More page! Check it out for answers to your frequently asked questions about WA Cares. If you still can’t find what you’re looking for, please email wacaresfund@dshs.wa.gov.
- We published a new flyer on our website to help Washington workers understand WA Cares. Please distribute this resource to your employees and post it in common areas.
- Workers can now join live webinars to learn more about WA Cares Fund and get their questions answered. Webinars are held each week and pre-registration to attend is not required.
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Coming soon! We’ll begin hosting employer webinars in early fall. We’ll personally walk you through the updates we’re making to Paid Leave’s reporting process so you can easily report once for both programs.
Paid Leave: New legislation takes effect soon
New legislation expands the definition of family member and the qualifying period for Paid Family and Medical Leave.
Permanent change as of July 25
The definition of family member expands to include anyone who might expect to rely on your employee for care. Your employee does not have to live with or be related to this person, but there must be an expectation that they would provide care. This is a permanent change as of July 25.
Temporary change beginning Aug. 1
New qualifying periods available to determine eligibility for those whose work was affected by COVID-19. We can now look at more of your workers' employment history to see if they qualify. The new law applies to leave that starts January 2021 through March 2022 or until funds run out. We will accept applications for leave under the new law beginning Aug. 1.
See our Help Center for more information.
Unemployment Insurance: Act before Sept. 30 to protect your tax rate
Avoid a delinquent tax rate for 2022 by filing all tax reports and paying all current and past-due unemployment taxes, penalties and interest, in full by Sept. 30. Employers with delinquencies are charged:
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At least a one percentage point increase in their regular tax rate the first year they’re delinquent.
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A two percentage point increase if they’re late a second consecutive year.
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The maximum shared-cost (social) tax rate.
Consider a deferred payment contract if you can’t pay
Even if you can’t pay the balance owed, you can still protect your tax rate by getting a deferred payment contract. Start by emailing Employment Security Department’s Collections unit at ESCtax@esd.wa.gov.
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