Key deadlines approach for Washington hospital staffing plan compliance

Hospital leaders—mark your calendars. Washington’s hospital staffing law includes several important reporting deadlines in January 2026: 

Jan. 1, 2026
Annual hospital staffing plans are due to the Department of Health. Plans must be approved by a majority vote of the Hospital Staffing Committee and CEOs must provide written feedback on the proposed staffing plan to the committee, even if the plan is approved as submitted.

Jan. 31, 2026
Non-exempt hospitals must submit semiannual staffing compliance reports. HSC co-chairs must sign and indicate whether they believe reports are accurate. Resources, templates and instructions are available on the DOH Hospital Staffing website. For implementation support contact Gena Cooper at [email protected].

For additional information about hospital staffing committees visit TogetherForPatientCareWA.com.
(Gena Cooper)