This bill adds a new section to chapter 71A.12 RCW and amends RCW 71A.12.290 to change eligibility and choice rules for developmental disabilities day and employment services. It requires the (unspecified) department to provide employment services starting at age 19 (replacing age 21), to set employment service hours based on the assistance needed to reach employment outcomes as described in rule (and not simply equal the client’s paid work or work-time), and to begin employment program enrollment when a client is authorized to receive employment. It also requires the department to develop implementing rules, to allow exceptions to the nine‑month participation requirement, and to take other actions necessary to implement the new section. The amendment creates a procedural change giving clients age 19 and older who are enrolled in an employment program the option, after nine months of enrollment, to transition to a community inclusion program without prior departmental approval once nine months of participation are verified; clients may move from a community inclusion program into an employment program at any time. The department must inform clients and their legal representatives of all available employment and day service options (including how to request exceptions), and must work with counties and stakeholders to strengthen and expand the community inclusion program, including considering alternative settings and supports that promote community integration. The bill is effective October 1, 2025. The text provided does not define the term “department” or other key terms, nor does it include the referenced rules or related statutory provisions in chapter 71A.12 that may interact with these changes. No new criminal penalties or penalty changes are included in the extracted text.

If enacted, people with developmental disabilities will be able to start receiving state employment services at age 19 rather than later, and once they have spent nine months in an employment program they must be offered the option to move into a community inclusion (day) program without waiting for prior departmental approval. That change likely gives younger clients and their legal representatives more real choice between work-focused services and community-based activities, and lets people move back into employment services at any time. The department and county programs will need to create rules, inform clients and representatives about options, verify participation, and expand or reshape community inclusion offerings (including alternative settings and supports for independent living). That will probably raise administrative work and could increase demand and costs for community inclusion providers and county coordination, but the bill text does not say who the “department” is, how the new services will be funded, or what criteria will be used for exceptions and rulemaking, so the budget and operational impacts are unclear.