RCW 70.97.110 Enforcement authority—Penalties, sanctions.

(1) In any case in which the department finds that a licensee of a facility, or any partner, officer, director, owner of five percent or more of the assets of the facility, or managing employee failed or refused to comply with the requirements of this chapter or the rules established under them, the department may take any or all of the following actions:

(a) Suspend, revoke, or refuse to issue or renew a license;

(b) Order stop placement; or

(c) Assess civil monetary penalties.

(2) The department may suspend, revoke, or refuse to renew a license, assess civil monetary penalties, or both, in any case in which it finds that the licensee of a facility, or any partner, officer, director, owner of five percent or more of the assets of the facility, or managing employee:

(a) Operated a facility without a license or under a revoked or suspended license;

(b) Knowingly or with reason to know made a false statement of a material fact in the license application or any data attached thereto, or in any matter under investigation by the department;

(c) Refused to allow representatives or agents of the department to inspect all books, records, and files required to be maintained or any portion of the premises of the facility;

(d) Willfully prevented, interfered with, or attempted to impede in any way the work of any duly authorized representative of the department and the lawful enforcement of any provision of this chapter;

(e) Willfully prevented or interfered with any representative of the department in the preservation of evidence of any violation of any of the provisions of this chapter or of the rules adopted under it; or

(f) Failed to pay any civil monetary penalty assessed by the department under this chapter within ten days after the assessment becomes final.

(3)(a) Civil penalties collected under this chapter shall be deposited into a special fund administered by the department.

(b) Civil monetary penalties, if imposed, may be assessed and collected, with interest, for each day the facility is or was out of compliance. Civil monetary penalties shall not exceed three thousand dollars per day. Each day upon which the same or a substantially similar action occurs is a separate violation subject to the assessment of a separate penalty.

(4) The department may use the civil penalty monetary fund for the protection of the health or property of residents of facilities found to be deficient including:

(a) Payment for the cost of relocation of residents to other facilities;

(b) Payment to maintain operation of a facility pending correction of deficiencies or closure; and

(c) Reimbursement of a resident for personal funds or property loss.

(5)(a) The department may issue a stop placement order on a facility, effective upon oral or written notice, when the department determines:

(i) The facility no longer substantially meets the requirements of this chapter; and

(ii) The deficiency or deficiencies in the facility:

(A) Jeopardizes the health and safety of the residents; or

(B) Seriously limits the facility's capacity to provide adequate care.

(b) When the department has ordered a stop placement, the department may approve a readmission to the facility from a hospital, residential treatment facility, or crisis intervention facility when the department determines the readmission would be in the best interest of the individual seeking readmission.

(6) If the department determines that an emergency exists and resident health and safety is immediately jeopardized as a result of a facility's failure or refusal to comply with this chapter, the department may summarily suspend the facility's license and order the immediate closure of the facility, or the immediate transfer of residents, or both.

(7) If the department determines that the health or safety of the residents is immediately jeopardized as a result of a facility's failure or refusal to comply with requirements of this chapter, the department may appoint temporary management to:

(a) Oversee the operation of the facility; and

(b) Ensure the health and safety of the facility's residents while:

(i) Orderly closure of the facility occurs; or

(ii) The deficiencies necessitating temporary management are corrected.

[ 2005 c 504 § 413.]

NOTES:

Findings—Intent—Severability—Application—Construction—Captions, part headings, subheadings not law—Adoption of rules—Effective dates—2005 c 504: See notes following RCW 71.05.027.

Alphabetization—Correction of references—2005 c 504: See note following RCW 71.05.020.