Reporting

In the original statute, agencies were instructed to adhere to the following reporting requirements identified in 2SSB 5793 (Section 7), which states that: 

“(1) An agency exercising its authority to provide stipends under RCW 43.03.220(2) must report to the Washington state EQUITY by August 30, 2023, and August 30, 2024, for state fiscal years 2023 and 2024 respectively, the following information: 

  • (a) A brief description of the groups for which stipends have been made available including:
    • (i) Number of members receiving a stipend or allowance; and
    • (ii) Aggregate demographic information of members of class one groups including race, ethnicity, income, and geographic representation by county
  • (b) The amount of stipends distributed;
  • (c) The amount of allowances distributed;  
  • (d) An analysis of whether and how the availability of stipends and allowances has reduced barriers to participation and increased the diversity of group participants; and
  • (e) An analysis of whether the provision of stipends and allowances resulted in more applications and willingness to participate.” 

Agencies must collect and retain the above information until it is reported to EQUITY at the end of each fiscal year. EQUITY distributes a reporting form and instructions to all state agencies, which they are required to complete by June 30th of each fiscal year, to meet the above mandate. 

Moving forward, starting in fiscal year 2025, the Community Compensation Request & Reporting form will serve a dual purpose: it will function both as a request for allocation and as a tool for quarterly reporting (which will take the place of the previously required annual reporting). 

It is important that each agency designates a single representative from their finance team to complete and submit the online form on behalf of all workgroups within the agency. If more than one submission is received from the same organization, all requests will be automatically denied. All requestors will be encouraged to connect within their agency and resubmit using one application.

Beginning in fiscal year 2026 (July 1st, 2025), all new allocation requests will need to be submitted by the end of August. Funds are limited, so agencies are encouraged to get their yearly compensation plans in as soon as possible. Statutory work groups will be prioritized. We will do our best to fulfill all requests when funds are available. Funds are replenished at the start of the fiscal year (July). Requests submitted earlier in the fiscal year will have a higher probability of receiving funds. We ask that agencies submit their requests all at once for all workgroups if possible. Please be aware that if an agency establishes a workgroup later in the fiscal year that was not included in the initial request, an additional request can be submitted to adjust the allotment (assuming there are funds available). The agency’s finance representative must make sure to attach a 5793 Tracking Form for each workgroup they are requesting allocation for. 

Starting in FY25, agencies are required to fill out a quarterly report that will provide updates on fund utilization, workgroup attendance, compensation details, and reimbursements (child/adult care, lodging, travel, and per diem). These quarterly reports will replace the previous end-of-year reporting questionnaire, allowing EQUITY and OFM to effectively monitor fund usage. 

The quarterly reporting schedule is as follows: 

• Quarter 1: July – September 
     o Deadline: September 15th 

• Quarter 2: October – December 
     o Deadline: December 15th 

• Quarter 3: January – March 
     o Deadline: March 15th 

• Quarter 4: April – June 
     o Deadline: June 15th 

When submitting a quarterly report, agencies should only report the amount spent during that specific quarter—not the cumulative total. For example, if an agency was allocated $3,000 and spent $1,200 between April and June, they should only report the $1,200 spent during that April–June quarter. There's no need to include spending from previous quarters, as EQUITY is able to pull reports and calculate the overall amount spent per agency. 

Important Note: Agencies that are not pulling from the Lived Experience/Community Compensation fund do not need to submit quarterly reports. The Office of Equity will be inviting agencies to share information about Community Compensation from alternative funding sources in fiscal year 2026 (this may be a requirement in 2026 via the Organizational Impact Assessment). Look forward to more guidance being provided by the Office of Equity.

 In addition to these requirements, agencies are encouraged to keep a record of compensation challenges they encounter or process improvement recommendations. The quarterly reporting form includes space for agencies to share this type of feedback with EQUITY, which will help them request legislative changes or make necessary improvements to future policies and guidelines. Agency staff may also submit feedback at any time by emailing LivedExperience@equity.wa.gov.