In 2019 Washington state enacted the first public long-term care insurance benefit for residents of the state. Known as the Long Term Services and Support Trust Act, this coverage is funded by a worker payroll tax of $0.58 per $100 of income, beginning in January 2022. Benefits will start in January of 2025 for workers who have vested in the trust. Individuals who qualify will have access to a lifetime benefit of $36,500 that will be adjusted annually for inflation.
 
The goal of this trust is to protect workers against the economic impact of needing long-term care as they age and to better position the state to cope with fiscal impact of the coming age wave and long-term care challenge. These benefits can be used for a range of services and supports, including:

• Professional care in your home, a licensed residential facility or a nursing facility
• Adaptive equipment and technology like wheelchair ramps and medication reminder devices
• Home safety evaluations
• Training, pay and support for family members who provide care
• Home-delivered meals
• Care transition coordination
• Memory Care
• Environmental modification
• Personal emergency response systems
• Respite for family caregivers
• Transportation
• Dementia support
• Education and consultation
• Eligible relative care
• Services that assist paid and unpaid family members caring for eligible individuals
• In-home personal care
• Assisted living services

 
To qualify for benefits from the Trust, you must have worked and contributed to the Trust for:

• At least ten years at any point in your life without a break of five or more years within those ten years, or
• Three of the last six years
• and at least 500 hours per year during those years.

Because you must have paid into the trust in order to qualify for benefits current retirees will not be eligible.
In order to receive benefits, you must be a current Washington resident and need assistance with at least three activities of daily living such as:

• Medication management
• Personal Hygiene
• Eating
• Toileting
• Cognitive Impairment
• Transfer Assistance
• Body Care
• Bathing
• Ambulation/Mobility
• Dressing

 
It is possible to opt-out of this program if you have your own long-term care insurance policy in place before November 1st 2021. You must submit an attestation that you purchased your long term care policy to the Washington State Employment Security Department between October 1, 2021, and December 31, 2022. If your request is approved, you will receive a letter from the Employment Security Department and your exemption will take effect the following calendar quarter. You will need to provide a copy to your current employer and all future employers. If you fail to inform your employer that you are exempt from the payroll tax deduction, you are not entitled to a refund of any tax paid into the program.
 
WashingtonLTCtrust.org has an online calculator that will hep you determine how much the tax will cost you and if you may be better off buying an individual Long Term Care insurance plan. It is important that you carefully consider the ramifications of requesting an exemption as you may not be able to opt in at a later date. Always consult a trusted expert to discuss your options before making a final decision.

Property taxes can create a unique problem for retirees. As property values go up, property taxes increase as well, but incomes may not keep up with the pace of tax increases. Washington state has responded to this issue by enacting tax relief policies for certain homeowners, including senior citizens. Unfortunately, the county assessor will not automatically let you know if you qualify for an exemption. It is up to you to review the eligibility requirements and then submit an application.
 
Under the senior citizen property tax exemption program the value of your residence is frozen for property tax purposes and you are exempt from all excess property taxes, Part 2 of the state school levy, and the portion of the voter approved regular levy if the exemption is identified in the ordinance. Depending on your income, you may also be exempt from a portion of the regular levies.
 
To qualify for the exemption, you must meet the following criteria:

• Be at least 61 years of age.
• Be at least 57 years of age and the surviving spouse or domestic partner of a person who was an exempt participant at their time of death.
• Unable to work because of a disability or a veteran entitled to and receiving compensation from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs at a total disability rating for a service-connected disability.
• Maximum annual income of $40,000 or 65% of the county median household income.

 
A home owned jointly by a married couple, a registered domestic partnership, or by co-tenants is considered to be owned by each person therefore only one person must meet the age or disability requirement. The property must be your primary residence and you must live in the home for more than six months each year. Property used as a vacation home is not eligible for the exemption program.
 
The maximum amount of annual disposable income you may receive and qualify for the exemption is $40,000 or 65% of the county median household income as of the writing of this article. So be sure to check the Washington state county income thresholds. The disposable income you receive during the application year determines your eligibility. Disposable income includes all income regardless of whether the income is taxable for federal income tax purposes. Common sources of income may include social security, military pay, pension payments, rental income, retirement account distributions and annuity payments.
 
Certain deductions may help reduce your disposable income calculation such as non-reimbursed amounts paid to live in a nursing home, boarding home, or adult family home, non-reimbursed amounts paid for prescription drugs, non-reimbursed amounts paid for in-home care and insurance premiums for Medicare parts A, B, C and D for you, your spouse, or your domestic partner. For additional information on calculating disposable income, it is helpful to review the requirements provided by the Washington State Department of Revenue.
 
You may also be eligible for a refund for up to three years of past property taxes if you failed to request an exemption due to oversight, or a lack of knowledge about this program. You must meet all the qualifications for the exemption as if you had applied at the time the application was due and separate applications must be submitted for each of the tax years in which you qualified up to a maximum of three years. Refunds are not available beyond the three years.
 
Ultimately your county assessor administers this program and is responsible for determining if you meet the qualifications. For those of you here in Spokane county you can find the application form here. Applications are due by December 31st of the assessment year. If the county assessor approves your application, you will need to submit a renewal every three years and the assessor will notify you when you are due for renewal. If your application is denied the assessor will notify you in writing and you will have an opportunity for appeal.
 
No one enjoys paying more than required when it comes to property taxes. It can pay to get in touch with your county assessor in order to find out if you qualify for a discount on your property taxes.