By Todd Welch / Herald Columnist
On Feb. 28, families of disabled children in Washington state suffered a crushing defeat; not at the hands of nature, nor due to a lack of resources, but through the deliberate inaction of their own state Legislature.
Two critical bills with bipartisan support — Senate Bill 5211 and House Bill 1200 — designed to provide financial support to parents who serve as full-time caregivers for their disabled children, were quietly left to die in the fiscal committees of the House and Senate.
A system designed to fail: Caring for a severely disabled child is a full-time commitment, one that the state ostensibly acknowledges by allocating Medicaid-mandated in-home support hours. Yet, these hours often go unused; not because the need isn’t there, but because there simply aren’t enough caregivers willing to take the job. The result? Parents are left with no choice but to provide round-the-clock care themselves, without compensation. These families are not asking for luxury; they are asking for survival. And yet, the Legislature has told them their struggle is too expensive to address.
The state’s fiscal sleight of hand: Lawmakers had a chance to remedy this injustice. Instead, they let these bills languish, citing financial concerns. But the truth is more cynical: the funds allocated for in-home support that go unused don’t disappear; they revert to the state’s General Fund, where they can be repurposed for other expenses. The money exists, yet instead of going to families in crisis, it becomes a discretionary slush fund. This is not just mismanagement; it is theft disguised as fiscal responsibility. It is a betrayal of families who were led to believe that their government would support them.
Silence from those in power: What makes this failure even more galling is the silence from leadership. Sen. June Robinson, D-Everett, chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, and House members from Snohomish County, including Reps. April Berg, D-Mill Creek; Julio Cortes, D-Everett; and Strom Peterson, D-Edmonds, had the power to push these bills forward. They did not. Despite bipartisan support, despite the clear evidence of need, they stood by and let these families down. Their silence speaks volumes about their priorities.
A moral and political failure: Other states have already proven that supporting parental caregivers is not just possible but necessary. California, Colorado, and New York have programs that compensate parents or allow them to hire trusted caregivers. The argument that Washington cannot afford to do the same rings hollow when weighed against the human cost of inaction. How much is a child’s well-being worth? How much is a parent’s sacrifice worth? Apparently, not enough to warrant action from the Washington State Legislature.
Demanding more: The 4,700 families affected by this failure should not be ignored. Their voices will not be silenced. If lawmakers refuse to stand up for their most vulnerable constituents, then voters must hold them accountable.
Washington state can and must do better. It’s time for the people of this state to demand more than empty promises and budgetary gamesmanship. It’s time to demand justice for the families who have been left to struggle alone.
Todd Welch is a columnist for The Herald, addressing local and state issues. He lives in Everett.
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