To the Editor:
Caregiving is hard work. I’m 61, and I’m the caregiver for my 88 year old father who has dementia and Alzheimer’s. My caregiving duties require around the clock attention and any professional help I need can get expensive quickly.
That’s why WA Cares, our state’s long-term care program, is so important to me — and why I hope the Washington state legislature should pass SB 5291 to strengthen this program to benefit future generations.
Senate Bill 5291 offers a simple, but important, update to WA Cares. Among other upgrades, it would allow workers in Washington who previously opted out of the program to opt back in and It would allow people who leave work for more than five years to continue building their benefits where they left off when they return to work.
Legislators should work together to pass SB 5291 to strengthen WA Cares so it is well equipped to meet the future needs of today’s workers. I hope Representative Eslick, Representative Low, and Senator Wagoner will support this common sense legislation.
Kent Bodda
Granite Falls
