In 2006, Washington State passed legislation commonly known as the Lance Morehouse Jr. Bill, placing the Individual and Family Services (IFS) program into state law. At the time, the Division of Developmental Disabilities administered multiple separate, state-funded family support programs, including Traditional Family Support, Family Support Opportunity, Emergency Services, a Flexible Family Support Pilot Program, and Community Service Grants. These programs provided assistance such as respite care, specialized equipment, behavior support, nursing services, and family counseling. However, families with similar needs often received different levels of support depending on which program they were enrolled in.

A 2005 budget proviso directed the Department of Social and Health Services to recommend strategies for integrating these programs into a single, more consistent system. After convening a Family Support Workgroup that included stakeholders, the Department issued a report recommending consolidation of the major family support programs into one unified program. The legislation that followed established the Individual and Family Services program in statute, creating a more streamlined approach to family support. While there were differing views on whether family income should determine eligibility, the law marked a significant step toward restructuring and stabilizing Washington’s family support system.