Home Care Certification in Crisis | Seattle News

Seattle News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Jul 28, 2026 · 1m

Fifteen years after Washington voters passed a landmark law to certify home care aides and protect vulnerable residents, a new audit reveals the system is broken—plagued by delays, redundant FBI checks, and testing bottlenecks that leave most aides stuck in limbo. While the intent was clear: safer care for seniors and disabled individuals, the execution has faltered. The state’s own certification process has slowed to a crawl, with applications taking months to process and testing vendors contributing to the backlog. Though the Department of Health admits the flaws and says it’s already…