Why more than four dozen Rainier School residents will be leaving by July 31
More than four dozen residents with developmental and intellectual disabilities will leave Rainier School by July 31, state officials said Monday, as one of two remaining units prepares to shut down at the troubled state-run home in eastern Pierce County.
The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, which operates the home in Buckley, announced that the closure was part of a settlement agreement reached between the agency and the state’s Medicaid program overseer, the Health Care Authority.
The deal’s announcement comes after the authority gave formal notice that it would end certification for Rainier’s PAT C Intermediate Care Facility effective Dec. 1 because that unit had been out of compliance with Medicaid program participation requirements since May 2021.
By entering into a settlement, as opposed to appealing decertification by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the state Department of Social and Health Services said that staff and families will have more time for the necessary relocation.
In a statement Monday, Debbie Roberts, the department’s assistant secretary for the Developmental Disabilities Administration, called it “a sad time” for residents, families and staff.
“This agreement will allow time to properly help our residents safely transition to a new setting, instead of the 30-day period CMS allows for transitions if we lost on appeal,” Roberts said. “We will work closely with the individuals impacted to develop a person-centered plan, ensuring safe and supported transitions.”
There are 53 people who currently reside at the PAT C Intermediate Care Facility and rely on it for specialized care and independent living skills training, according to the announcement.
The closure also means that Rainier School will lose roughly $1.5 million in monthly federal funding, according to the state, which noted that the settlement allows that money to continue to flow until July 1 or when the last resident is gone, whichever occurs first.
Nearly four years ago, another of the home’s then-three facilities was decertified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, forcing roughly 90 adult residents to be moved.
Rainier School, opened in 1939 and one of four state-run centers for people with developmental disabilities, has been marred by recent controversies, including at least $7.75 million in legal payouts since 2020. In those three cases, a foster child in a wheelchair nearly drowned after falling into a lake; a man went missing and was never found; and a woman died from a pulmonary embolism after bunion surgery.
In 2018, a former supervisor was sentenced to 24.5 years to life in prison for rape of one resident and inappropriately touching another.
A lawsuit filed in September on behalf of a current and former resident accused the home of putting the plaintiffs at a “significant risk of harm” and providing inadequate care. Claims brought on behalf of the ex-resident were dismissed by the court in November, among other claims also thrown out, while remaining allegations continue to be litigated, court records show.
This story was originally published December 6, 2022 at 10:00 AM.
