Submitting Comments

Make your voice heard on the Long-Term Care Trust Act:
3 Simple Steps you can take to Stand Up for Seniors!

Go to web address: http://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=1636&Year=2017

1. Click “Comment on this Bill”

 

 

2. Verify your district and select your legislators and be sure to click Yes!

 

 

3. Enter your position as “Support” and write out your comment! Be sure to be specific and let the legislators understand where you are coming from! Looking for more help with writing? Check out our guide below!

Extra Credit!: Call Your Legislators!
When you see your legislators names when you verify your district look them up in this directory http://leg.wa.gov/senate/senators/Pages/default.aspx

 

Thank you so much for supporting all those who need long-term care with the new Long-Term Care Trust Act! We are eager for our legislators to hear your powerful stories, and gain a new understanding about why their action is so important. What you are doing is so important because we know that the most effective way to influence legislators is by hearing from their constituents . . . and that’s you!

Testimony of: YOUR NAME HERE

IN SUPPORT OF HB 1636, The Long-Term Care Trust Act

Before the House Health Care and Wellness Committee

February 15, 2017

Opening Paragraph:

• Introduce Yourself!
  • Your name, where you live, and your job (if applicable)  
  • What are your stakes in the Long-Term Care Trust Act?
    • Examples: You are a caregiver, you are an unpaid family caregiver, you are aging, you are part of the sandwich generation, you are currently trying to pay for long-term care.

Body Paragraph:

• Write about how long-term care has impacted the lives and finances of you and your family
  • Example: When my mother needed long-term care after surviving cancer in 2007 I learned that the care she needed was not covered by Medicare nor our insurance. My mother was a retired school teacher, and after a lifetime of hard work I thought that our state would ensure she was prepared. Our family worked very hard to meet her care needs but we ended up having to spend down to under $2,000 in income and benefits in order to get her care. I took on the role of being her caregiver. This role meant that I often had to take time off work, and I eventually lost my job.
  • Example: After my husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease I was sure that our savings would cover his care. Within the first year at a memory care facility which costs, $X amount each year, we had spent our life savings. We spent down to poverty levels in order to access care. Now I am not sure how I will be able to pay for my own care in the coming years. While we did our best to prepare, I had no idea that it could be so expensive.
• Answer the Question: What $100/day would have/would/could mean for your family in trying to provide long-term care?
• These body paragraphs should be about your experience and really help paint a picture for the legislators who you are speaking to
  • Example: I am a sandwich generation caregiver who is struggling to meet the needs of both my children and my parents. This past year I spent more money working to ensure my parents were cared for than my children. These costs included adult diapers, household accessibility renovations, and more. This expensive need was made more challenging by the fact that I had to leave my job has an newspaper editor to care for my parents in 2012. I love my parents, and my children, yet I am constantly in a battle of which needs I will be able to meet this month. As my parents needs became more than I was able to provide we found them the best care at a nursing facility. This facility costs $X. We are only able to afford by . . . As a result . . .

Closing Paragraph:

• Answer the Question: Why do you support the legislator taking action on long-term care financing?
• Ask the legislature to support your position.

Anything not clear? Having trouble? No worries! Please just email me at Courtney@ResponsibleFuture.org