Washington Administrative Code › Title 388 - Social and Health Services, Department of › MENTAL HEALTH › Chapter 388-855 - Liability for costs of care and hospitalization of the mentally ill › Section 388-855-0015 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
"Adjusted charges"
are those [charges levied
				  upon] [amounts charged to] a patient who is or has been confined to a state
				  hospital for the mentally ill, either by voluntary or involuntary admission,
				  and their estates and responsible relatives, which are less than the actual
				  cost of hospitalization as reflected in the schedule of charges herein and
				  which has been established by the issuance of a notice of finding of
				  responsibility.
"Adjusted gross income"
is that gross income of
				  the estate of the patient and responsible relatives less any deductions,
				  contributions or payments mandated by law including, but not necessarily
				  limited to, income tax and social security.
"Dependent"
means any spouse, minor son or
				  daughter, or permanently disabled son or daughter, of the patient living in the
				  patient's household. If the patient is a minor, then the same definitions shall
				  apply in determining the dependency of members of the parent's household. If a
				  minor son or daughter is not living in the patient's household, that son or
				  daughter shall not be considered a dependent unless the patient is in fact
				  contributing more than fifty percent of that child's support in accordance with
				  a court order or court-recognized agreement.
"Department"
means the department of social and
				  health services.
"Determination officer"
is that duly appointed
				  and qualified claims investigator who is delegated authority by the secretary
				  to conduct or cause to have conducted an investigation of the financial
				  condition of the estate of the patient and responsible relatives; to evaluate
				  the results of such investigations; to make determinations of the ability to
				  pay hospitalization changes from such investigations and evaluations; and to
				  issue notices of findings of responsibility to the responsible parties.
"Estate of patient and responsible relative"
means the total assets available to the patient and his responsible relatives
				  to reimburse the department for hospitalization charges incurred by the patient
				  in a state hospital for the mentally ill in accordance with these
				  regulations.
"Gross income"
means the total assets available
				  to the estate of the patient and responsible relatives expressed in terms of
				  their cash equivalent on a monthly basis. The total assets available to the
				  estate of the patient and responsible relatives are converted to a monthly cash
				  equivalent figure by dividing those assets by twelve months. Gross income
				  includes all of the following calculated prior to any mandatory deductions;
				  gross wages for service; net earnings from self-employment; and all other
				  assets divided by twelve months.
"Responsible relative"
includes the spouse of a
				  patient, or the parent of a patient who is under eighteen years of age.
"Secretary"
means the secretary of the
				  department of social and health services.
Statutory Authority:
					 RCW
					 43.20B.335,
					 43.20B.325,
					 72.01.090. 01-01-007, amended and
					 recodified as § 388-855-0015, filed 12/6/00, effective 1/6/01. Statutory
					 Authority: RCW 81.02.412 [71.02.412]. 81-08-020 (Order 1627), §
					 275-16-015, filed 3/25/81.
Reviser's note:
RCW
					  34.05.395 requires the use of underlining and
					 deletion marks to indicate amendments to existing rules, and deems ineffectual
					 changes not filed by the agency in this manner. The bracketed material in the
					 above section does not appear to conform to the statutory
					 requirement.