(1) All long-term care workers who are certified home care aides must comply with the continuing education requirements under chapter 246-980 WAC.

(2) Long-term care workers, who are exempt from home care aide certification as described in RCW 18.88B.041, unless exempt from continuing education as described under WAC 388-71-1001 must complete and provide documentation of 12 hours of continuing education within 45 calendar days of being hired or by the long-term care worker's birthday in the calendar year hired, whichever is later; and

(a) Must complete 12 hours of continuing education by the long-term care worker's birthday each calendar year worked thereafter; or

(b) If the 45 calendar day time period allows the long-term care worker to complete continuing education in January or February of the following year, the credit hours earned will be applied to the calendar year in which the long-term care worker was hired.

(3) If the renewal period following initial certification as a home care aide or nursing assistant (NA-C), is less than a full year from the date of certification, no continuing education will be due for the first renewal period.

(4) For long-term care workers who are caring for a biological, step, or adoptive parent, continuing education must be completed on or before their birthday in the year after basic training was completed. If these long-term care workers have not worked in long-term care for a calendar year or longer, the worker can complete the continuing education requirement as provided in subsection (2) of this section.