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Washington State may soon approve the nation’s first publicly-funded long-term care insurance program. The measure, called the Long-Term Care Trust Act, would provide a maximum benefit of $36,500 for people who need assistance with at least three activities of daily living (ADLs) such as bathing, toileting, transferring, dressing, or eating. It would be funded with a payroll tax (or what supporters call a premium) of 0.58 percent of wages starting in 2022. The money would go into a trust fund so it could not be spent on other programs.

State residents would be eligible for benefits if they have worked at least part-time over “the past 10 years without interruption of five or more consecutive years,” or worked three out of the past six years. The state would begin paying benefits in 2025.