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Inslee announces incentives for vaccinated veterans, military and staff, and their families

Gov. Jay Inslee announced “A Heroes Thanks” vaccine incentive program on Thursday for Washington's military and staff, veterans and their families who have been vaccinated through the Department of Defense, the VA or the National Guard. The governor was joined by Alfie Alvarado, director of the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs for the announcement.

Starting July 20, through the Washington State Lottery, eligible Washingtonians can win cash prizes of $100,000 in the first two weeks, Amazon gift cards worth $250, state parks gift cards worth $100, and the final week will have a $250,000 cash prize.

"We are so grateful for these service members, veterans, their families and those who work for the military for their service to our country," Inslee said at a press conference Thursday.  "And we are grateful that more and more people are taking care of others by getting vaccinated."

The announcement came two weeks after the rollout of the "Shot of a Lifetime" lottery sweepstakes. Before the incentives were announced, the Department of Health observed a fall off in vaccination rates that began to reverse after the announcement, prompting an expansion of available incentives.

However, when "Shot of a Lifetime" was first announced, data-sharing issues on the part of the federal government made it difficult to include names of veterans, military members and staff, and their families to be included in the drawings. But through innovative collaboration, Washington can now offer incentives to those who serve our state and country, through their work and by getting a life-saving vaccine. 

The incentives will be funded with the same federal COVID relief dollars that fund the vaccine lottery. And the Department of Defense will circulate a webform for eligible residents to fill out with the information needed to be entered in the incentives. 

The governor was also joined by Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler Thursday to announce incentives and reimbursements for provider outreach to their unvaccinated patients. With medical providers being the most trusted source of information on vaccines for the public, their education on the safety and efficacy of vaccines is crucial to the state’s fight to control the virus.

Inslee and state LGBTQ+ groups raise Pride flag on Capitol Campus

Photo courtesy of Legislative Support Services.

On Thursday, the governor joined the state LGBTQ Commission, the Rainbow Alliance and Inclusion Network (RAIN), and community members to raise the rainbow Pride flag over the Capitol Campus.

“This is a beautiful day to celebrate Pride month,” Inslee said Thursday. “It’s a beautiful day to see the sun rays falling on a state that takes pride in all of our citizens, that allows people to marry whom they want to marry, that makes sure we have the RAIN program to help our state employees, and to have a state that recognizes that we're not done bending the arc of the moral universe forward.”

30 years ago, Washington prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation. Since then, the state has recognized same-sex partnerships and marriages, banned conversion therapy for minors, banned the "panic defense" in hate crime cases, and approved the Gender Affirming Treatment Act.

Despite Washington's trailblazing policies, the LGBTQ community still faces many legal and social challenges in both the state and the nation. Inslee will continue working with the LGBTQ Commission to hear directly from the community about their concerns, challenges and ideas on how to advance LGBTQ equity in the state.

Watch the flag raising here. 

Read the Washington state Pride Month proclamation here.

Inslee visits communities throughout Washington

Windblades in transport at the Port of Vancouver USA.

Gov. Jay Inslee visited three different counties throughout Washington this week, making stops in Clark and Pierce County, and the Tri-Cities. 

On Tuesday, Inslee traveled to Vancouver to see wind blades in transit at the Port of Vancouver USA and to speak with the tradespeople working on the ground. The 330-foot blades are destined to wind farms across the Pacific Northwest and will provide jobs in the ever-growing, high-tech, clean energy sector. Before the Port, the governor stopped by a Kaiser vaccination clinic in downtown Vancouver to thank clinic staff and volunteers for their hard work the past six months since vaccinations began in the state. 

The governor attended a series of meetings in the Tri-Cities Wednesday. Inslee met with community organizations, local businesses, mayors and representatives to discuss the Hanford cleanup. While the state is listening to local communities, Washington is also advocating for federal investment to advance the cleanup of the Hanford site. The governor also met with growers and farmworkers in Pasco to discuss the work done to keep their communities and work environments safe during COVID. The statewide plans provide testing, vaccinations and personal protective equipment (PPE) to employers, at no cost. 

The governor finished the week in Pierce County on Friday. He began the day visiting the SeaMar vaccination clinic in Puyallup to thank the frontline workers and clinic staff and to hear about their experience in the community. From there, he traveled to the Orting Veterans Village and the Veterans Farm to see the programs helping those who have served and are facing homelessness in the community. He ended the day at the Bacon and Eggs skatepark in Wilkeson to celebrate the success of the partnership between a local Washington artist and funding from the state Recreation and Conservation Office. 

Inslee statement on reopening numbers, staying the course

State vaccination numbers as of June 17.

Gov. Jay Inslee released a statement Tuesday on numbers used to determine when Washington state will fully reopen.

“Many people, myself included, are eager for our state to fully reopen. I have said repeatedly we are going to do this on June 30 or when we hit 70% of people 16 and up initiating vaccinations – whichever happens first. We use age 16 and up as that population was eligible when we made the announcement.

“I am hopeful Washingtonians will get vaccinated for their own health and that of their loved ones, and to help move our state closer to a full reopening.

“For those who would advocate changing our strategy, we are on the two-yard line. We are not going to change the game plan now. We are going to see this through.

“I said this last week, but it bears repeating: We need to compare apples to apples. Many on social media have chosen to compare data that don’t belong together, giving Washingtonians incomplete or misinformed data on our progress.

“Our state uses data for people age 16 and up; the federal government uses data for ages 18 and up. We use the most recent Census data from 2020; the federal government uses older data.

"Additionally, the Department of Defense and Veterans Administration federal vaccination programs do not share person-level data with the Department of Health, and the state can only rely on data it has access to and can verify.

“Washington state has been calculating data the same way throughout this process. This provides the most complete, accurate and transparent data on vaccination rates.

“I encourage all Washingtonians to get vaccinated. Not only is it the right thing to do, but the Shot of a Lifetime vaccine lottery is ongoing and those who initiate vaccination are automatically entered.”