On March 12, 2008, Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire signed into law House Bill 3104, extending 170 legal rights and responsibilities to couples in domestic partnerships (same- or opposite-sex relationships). Among the new responsibilities is that the state will treat surviving members of the couple the same as surviving spouses of married couples for purposes of estate recovery by Medicaid.
The new law, which takes effect June 12, 2008, prohibits recovery by Medicaid if the agency would not have been permitted to recover from a surviving spouse in similar circumstances.