Workers mandatorily paying a tax for WA Cares, the Washington state program that will give money to some people who need long-term care, regardless of need, want to know if they’ll get their money back should the program become optional via Initiative 2124 and they opt out. An answer to that was given at Wednesday’s Long-Term Services and Supports Trust Commission meeting.  

Employment Security Department Commissioner Cami Feek explained, “People don’t get their money back when they opt out. They opt out future-facing from that point forward.” She added that as the law is constructed, money is taken from workers’ paychecks every quarter. That means it would be the quarter following an approved exemption that a worker would stop paying into WA Cares.