About Us

The Washington State Continuing Care Residents Association (WACCRA) is the only organization in the state that represents the interests of residents who live in WA Continuing Care Retirement Communities, CCRCs – sometimes called Life Plan Communities. WACCRA is a 501(c)(4) organization – we advocate for the needs of our members. 

WACCRA’s history follows a path focused on empowering residents of Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) to create and maintain effective resident/management partnerships. Our goal is vibrant, sustainable communities that benefit residents and employees alike. 

WACCRA’s operational focus has intensified with the changing landscape in the senior care industry. The industry has been consolidating into large organizations that own and operate many unique communities. In addition, for-profit operations are growing at a faster rate than are the traditional non-profit communities. In light of these changes, we see a need for financial transparency and durable consumer protections for CCRC residents. 

How WACCRA Began

The idea for WACCRA began in 2014 when a group of residents from a few CCRCs recognized the need for a formal way to organize the roughly 8,000 CCRC residents in the state of Washington. This group was concerned about rights and consumer protections for residents of CCRCs. They invited the new NaCCRA (National Continuing Care Residents’ Association) president, Dan Seeger, and the leading expert on CCRC residents’ rights, Professor Katherine Pearson of Penn State Law School, to come and speak to residents of Washington CCRCs. Both speakers talked about the rights and responsibilities of CCRC residents and the need for laws to protect resident’s financial exposure. Their explanation of the risks that residents face, and of what other states are doing, spurred the Washingtonians to create a state organization with strong encouragement from NaCCRA.

Since those early days, WACCRA membership has steadily grown, as has the number of participating CCRCs across the state. The need for rights and protections is definitely apparent to residents when they see the oversight structure protecting residents of CCRCs in states other than Washington. For decades, many states have required oversight, many regulated by the state’s Insurance Commission. See data on other state’s oversight on pages 33-35 of  the 2022 OIC Report. As of 2025, Washington state has virtually no oversight of CCRC Independent Living. 

WACCRA’s Milestone Accomplishments

In the years since the founding of WACCRA, the organization has had a string of major accomplishments. These accomplishments exemplify our core efforts to Advocate, Educate and Collaborate for the benefit of CCRC Residents and Seniors living in Washington State. A brief summary of each accomplishment is given below. Where applicable, a link is provided for more detail.

ADVOCATE

• Report on Regulation of CCRCs by the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), Office of Insurance Commissioner (OIC), and Office of the Attorney General (AGO) in 2024. (Click Link)  Summary: WACCRA advocated in the 2023 legislative session for a budget proviso to fund the creation of a report for the legislature that lays out a plan for the best way to provide state oversight of CCRCs. WACCRA’s Legislative Committee provided valuable input to the plan.
• Report on Regulation of CCRCs by the OIC in 2022 (Click Link) Summary: Based on WACCRA’s numerous meetings with the OIC in 2021, the 2022 legislature asked the OIC to report on Washington’s oversight of CCRCs. The OIC concluded that additional regulatory oversight is appropriate and that the oversight should be managed by a single agency.
• Commitment to CCRC Practices Agreement  in 2020 (Click Link) Summary: WACCRA proposed a variety of consumer protections for residents of CCRCS in the 2019 legislative session. At the request of the chair of the Senate Health Committee, WACCRA and LeadingAge WA entered into mediation to work out unresolved issues related to the proposed consumer protections. The agreement between CCRC management and CCRC residents was signed by every CCRC’s management; however, the implementation has been mixed across Washington’s CCRCs.
• Initial Washington CCRC Law in 2016 (Click Link)  Summary: In 2016, WACCRA successfully worked to pass the first CCRC regulations in Washington State history. This legislation allows CCRCs to register with the state, gives prospective residents the right to have access to audited financial reports, and includes a list of resident “expectations”. 

EDUCATE

• Multi-State Meetings of WACCRA-like Organizations  Summary: In 2022, WACCRA initiated the Multi-State Meeting of organizations like WACCRA in other states across the country. These educational and collaborative meetings provide an opportunity for presidents of WACCRA-like organizations nationally to share experiences and information. Discussions have led to an increase in initiatives taken by state organizations. The Multi-State Meetings are hosted by WACCRA.
• Consumer Guide to CCRCs in Washington (Click Link)  Summary: To educate future residents of CCRCs, WACCRA authored one of the most comprehensive Consumer Guides to CCRCs. The 3rd edition was released in 2021. All the key issues to consider before making the decision to move to a CCRC are covered. In addition, contact information for all registered CCRCs in Washington State can be found in the Guide.  
• Presidents Roundtable  Summary: WACCRA initiated the Presidents Roundtable in 2018. This educational and collaborative forum gathers together the resident association presidents of the CCRCs in the state of Washington. It has become an effective means for resident association presidents to become educated about issues, gather ideas from other CCRCs, and discuss topics common to all CCRC residents. WACCRA hosts the meetings which occur each quarter.
• Educational Keynote Speakers at Annual Meetings (Click Link) Summary: Since 2015 WACCRA has sponsored or recommended a variety of educational lectures on important topics to CCRC residents given by experts on senior protections. These include CCRC residents’ issues, Washington’s Long Term Care Ombuds program, scams perpetrated on seniors, CCRC industry changes, and regulation of CCRCs by states. Some of these lectures can be found by clicking on the link above.

 If you aren’t a member of WACCRA, consider joining now