About Us

Our 2023 Annual Meeting at Timber Ridge CCRC on October 21st in Issaquah was a great success! Those gathered (approximately 200 in person; others on zoom) heard outgoing President Donna Kristaponis talk about highlights of the past year before passing the torch to Laura Saunders. We thank Donna for 

3 years of strong leadership laced with good humor. 

Our Legislative Liaison team got us up to speed via a panel discussion on our past, current, and future legislative work in Olympia. The team asked WACCRA members to submit their legislative priority interests via an electronic survey soon to be distributed. 


Katherine C. Pearson, Professor of Elder Law and Arthur L. & Sandra S. Piccone Faculty Scholar at Dickinson Law, Penn State, bolstered and validated our legislative work in her talk titled Challenging Roles for Regulation and Resident Advocacy for Continuing Care Communities.

Professor Pearson laid out five points related to Consumer Protection Legislation that she feels are crucial to our work with the WA State Legislature. These points are informed by her long-time research and work with CCRCs in other states:

• Determining a definition of a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) is key. Professor Pearson is seeing a trend of not offering continuing care by eliminating Skilled Nursing and Memory Care.  Instead, caregivers are privately hired by residents. It was pointed out that LeadingAge (a group that represents the interests of member Senior Living Organizations) uses the term “Life Plan Communities” (LPC). This may be a way to circumvent the lack of higher levels of care onsite at a retirement community. A broad definition of CCRCs and LPCs is needed.

• Require ongoing minimum financial disclosures to prospective Residents and current Residents. Be clear about what should be disclosed and why. These disclosures can be linked to financial security for Residents.

• A plan for financial security should be described. Professor Pearson described the difference between Accountants (who tell how your money is being spent) and Actuaries (who tell how your money should be spent in the future). She advises that we should say yes to Actuarial Reports. Sound “Actuarial Balance” helps in the following ways:

• To ensure the ability of the Community to meet lifetime obligations, 
• To determine a self-supporting fee structure, especially in Communities that require large entrance fees, 
• To enable the ability of the Community to meet future financial obligations, 
• To minimize risk of bankruptcy, 
• To reassure Residents that the Board has a fiduciary duty to the life of a community, and 
• To provide stability in the changing marketplace. 

• Professor Pearson also mentioned the importance of language regarding how refunds will be paid out. For instance, New Jersey is requiring a “first in, first paid back” approach.

• State Regulators must learn to listen to Residents. A robust set of Resident Rights (“Resident Bill of Rights”) should be stated in the legislation. Enforceability of these Resident Rights is essential. Along with these Resident Rights should be a plan for Residents to sit on the governing Board of Directors, as required in Oregon.

Our WACCRA Legislative Liaison Team, along with lobbyist Donna Christensen, continue to work toward crafting language that will provide consumer protections for Residents of CCRCs in Washington State. With input from our members, work is ongoing and will continue through 2024.

FOR THOSE WHO COULD NOT JOIN US FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING, WE INVITE YOU TO CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PROGRAM ON YOUTUBE.

ALSO, PROFESSOR PEARSON WROTE ABOUT HER VISIT TO OUR ANNUAL MEETING IN AN ARTICLE FOR THE ELDER LAW PROF BLOG CLICK HERE TO READ HER IMPRESSIONS.