Other LanguagesContact:
PO Box 40124
Olympia, WA 98504-0124
E-mail
Division Chief: Natalie King, Senior AAG
Overview: The Social and Health and Services (SHO) division represents five state agencies in their missions to provide benefits, protection, and care to some of our state’s most vulnerable and disenfranchised residents. The division’s 44 attorneys and 28 professional staff deliver legal services, advice, and representation to the Department of Social and Health Services’ wide range of programs and functions, including mental health services and the state psychiatric hospitals; adult protective services; home and community services for elderly and disabled individuals; services for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities; income assistance; revenue recovery and child support; vocational rehabilitation; and the Special Commitment Center.
The division also provide legal services to Health Care Authority programs such as public employee and school employee benefits, Medicaid and other medical assistance programs, alcohol and drug rehabilitation, and behavioral health. Additional clients include the Health Benefits Exchange, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Services for the Blind, and the University of Washington’s Center for Behavioral Health and Learning.
Legal Highlights: Our cases range from federal court class action cases involving thousands of individuals to individual administrative appeals. Recent cases include a challenge to state employee health benefits programs and a challenge to the adequacy of the state’s mental health services.
We also handle a wide range of legal matters, including:
- Seeking protections for vulnerable adults at risk of abuse or neglect;
- Defending lawsuits brought by legal advocacy groups organizations on behalf of Medicaid recipients and individuals with disabilities;
- Complex civil rights challenges by residents of the Special Commitment Center for sexually violent predators;
- Civil and felony commitment hearings and trials;
- Contract disputes with medical providers and managed care organizations; and
- Appeals related to eligibility for medical services.