Overview

OCLA’s newest program, Legal Counsel for Long-Term Care, will bring additional protections to Medicaid recipient residents facing discharge from certain long-term care facilitates.  The program aims to offer person-centered, trauma-informed legal assistance to protect vulnerable long-term care residents from unsafe or unlawful discharge.

Program History

To strengthen safeguards for individuals facing discharge or transfer, the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) is updating regulations for Adult Family Homes (AFHs), Assisted Living Facilities (ALFs), and Enhanced Services Facilities (ESFs). To protect residents’ rights to safe and orderly discharge, the new rules grant residents access to legal services at public expense. To implement these protections, DSHS has partnered with the Office of Civil Legal Aid (OCLA) to create a statewide program dedicated to ensuring residents can exercise their legal rights effectively.

OCLA will be building this program in state fiscal year 2026 with an anticipated launch date of January 1, 2026. More details coming soon!