(1) Beginning July 1, 2026, an employee or self-employed person, who has elected coverage under RCW 50B.04.090, who relocates outside of Washington may elect to continue participation in the program if:

(a) The employee or self-employed person has been assessed premiums by the employment security department for at least three years in which the employee or self-employed person has worked at least 500 hours in each of those years in Washington; and

(b) The employee or self-employed person notifies the employment security department within one year of establishing a primary residence outside of Washington that the employee or self-employed person is no longer a resident of Washington and elects to continue participation in the program.

(2) Out-of-state participants under subsection (1) of this section must report their wages or self-employment earnings to the employment security department according to standards for manner and timing of reporting and documentation submission, as adopted by rule by the employment security department. An out-of-state participant must submit documentation to the employment security department whether or not the out-of-state participant earned wages or self-employment earnings, as applicable, during the applicable reporting period. When an out-of-state participant reaches the age of 67, the participant is no longer required to provide the documentation of their wages or self-employment earnings, but if the participant earns wages or self-employment earnings, the participant must submit reports of those wages or self-employment earnings and remit the required premiums.

(3) Out-of-state participants under subsection (1) of this section must provide documentation of wages and self-employment earnings earned at the time that they report their wages or self-employment earnings to the employment security department.

(4) The employment security department may cancel elective coverage if the out-of-state participant fails to make required payments or submit reports. The employment security department may collect due and unpaid premiums and may levy an additional premium for the remainder of the period of coverage. The cancellation must be effective no later than 30 days from the date of the notice in writing advising the out-of-state participant of the cancellation.

(5) The employment security department shall:

(a) Adopt standards by rule for the manner and timing of reporting and documentation submission for out-of-state participants. The employment security department must consider user experience with the wage and self-employment earnings reporting process and the document submission process and regularly update the standards to minimize the procedural burden on out-of-state participants and support the accurate reporting of wages and self-employment earnings at the time of the payment of premiums;

(b) Collect premiums from out-of-state participants as provided in RCW 50B.04.080 and 50B.04.090, as relevant to out-of-state participants; and

(c) Verify the wages or self-employment earnings as reported by an out-of-state participant.

(6) For the purposes of this section, "wages" includes remuneration for services performed within or without or both within and without this state.

(7) Entities providing services to an eligible beneficiary outside Washington are subject to RCW 50B.04.200 and may not discriminate based upon race, gender, age, or preexisting condition.

(8) An employee or self-employed person who has elected coverage under RCW 50B.04.090 who relocates outside of Washington may elect to opt out of coverage by no longer reporting wages to the department, rather than become an out-of-state participant in the program.

(9) By extending the premium base to out-of-state participants under subsection (1) of this section, chapter 120, Laws of 2024 will increase the state's investment in long-term care services.

Purpose—2024 c 120: "The purpose of this act is to preserve and strengthen Washington's long-term care program by giving participants who move out-of-state the option of maintaining benefit eligibility or opting out, and prohibiting discrimination based upon race, gender, age, or preexisting condition.

Extending coverage to Washington workers when they move out-of-state will protect employees' investments in the state's long-term care program, ensuring that eligible beneficiaries can receive long-term care benefits when they need them, even if they move out-of-state, while preserving the right for out-of-state participants to opt out. The extension of the program will increase the state's investment in long-term care services. The prohibition in this act against discrimination will ensure that the program is implemented uniformly and that all program participants are equally protected from discrimination regardless of the laws in their home state." [ 2024 c 120 s 1.]

Effective date—2024 c 120: "This act takes effect July 1, 2025." [ 2024 c 120 s 11.]