WABON administers a stipend fund in accordance with RCW 18.79.440, which provides financial support to nurses in the CARES (formerly known as WHPS) program who demonstrate a financial need. Funding for the stipend program is dependent upon the state budget. The program was funded at a rate of $25,000 for the 2025-2026 fiscal year.
Unfortunately, due to limited remaining resources, financial assistance through the stipend program will end effective December 31, 2025. This means that beginning January 1, 2026, and continuing through June 30, 2026, participating nurses will be responsible for the full cost associated with their monitoring requirements.
Funding is expected to be restored on July 1, 2026, at which time the program will resume offering financial support to eligible participants.
The CARES team understands that this interruption may cause challenges and encourages all affected nurses to plan accordingly. Additional updates will be provided as information becomes available.
Nurses with current approvals that will expire during the funding interruption are encouraged to reapply in June 2026 in anticipation of funding availability. These nurses will be notified at the time of their application expiration.