Each year about this time, the Department of Health (DOH) has to submit to the Office of Financial Management (OFM) their list of “financial asks” for the following year. This draft information is presented to DOH partners to comment on. Here are the highlights, specific to LMTs, from that meeting.

Overall fiscal environment: OFM has told state agencies to focus on only submitting requests for continuing work and to limit requests for any new work or enhancements to existing work. This is due primarily to Washington having a new Governor by next year, who will have their own priorities, and some Initiatives on the upcoming ballot that could have a significant impact on the overall state budget.

The two items that most directly affect massage therapists are in the category of Health Systems. Improvement of Credentialing Timelines:

• Long wait times for license issuance is common across all provider types. This is due to a new licensing system, a shortfall in workforce at DOH and a need to get providers working as fast as possible to help with the shortage of healthcare providers

• HELMS, Healthcare Enforcement and Licensing Management System. Additional monies are needed to complete the transition to HELMS and to support HELMS. For more info about HELMS, click on the following link: 

https://doh.wa.gov/licenses-permits-and-certificates/healthcare-enforcement-and-licensing-management-system-helms

You can find the entire list of proposals here. They are due to OFM by September 10 2024.