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| [ Introduced ] | [ House Amendment 002 ] |
91_HB1846eng HB1846 Engrossed LRB9105229SMdv 1 AN ACT to amend the Illinois Public Aid Code by changing 2 Sections 4-1.12 and 12-4.11 and by adding Section 12-4.17a. 3 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 4 represented in the General Assembly: 5 Section 5. The Illinois Public Aid Code is amended by 6 changing Sections 4-1.12 and 12-4.11 and by adding Section 7 12-4.17a as follows: 8 (305 ILCS 5/4-1.12) 9 Sec. 4-1.12. Five year limitation. 10 (a) No assistance unit shall be eligible for a cash 11 grant under this Article if it includes an adult who has 12 received cash assistance as an adult for 60 months, whether 13 or not consecutive, after the effective date of this 14 amendatory Act of 1997. The Illinois Department may exempt 15 individual assistance units from the 60-month limitation or 16 determine circumstances under which a month or months would 17 not count towards the 60-month limitation even though the 18 assistance unit did receive cash assistance under this 19 Article. 20 (b) In addition to months that the Illinois Department 21 has determined or shall determine by rule not to count toward 22 the 60-month limitation, the Illinois Department shall not 23 count months in which the adult receiving assistance under 24 this Article is the primary caregiver for a disabled child 25 when the demands of caregiving are inconsistent with 26 sustained employment. 27 (Source: P.A. 90-17, eff. 7-1-97.) 28 (305 ILCS 5/12-4.11) (from Ch. 23, par. 12-4.11) 29 Sec. 12-4.11. Grant amounts. 30 (a) The Department, with due regard for and subject to HB1846 Engrossed -2- LRB9105229SMdv 1 budgetary limitations, shall establish grant amounts for each 2 of the programs, by regulation. The grant amounts may vary 3 by program, size of assistance unit and geographic area. 4 (b) Aid payments shall not be reduced except: (1) for 5 changes in the cost of items included in the grant amounts, 6 or (2) for changes in the expenses of the recipient, or (3) 7 for changes in the income or resources available to the 8 recipient, or (4) for changes in grants resulting from 9 adoption of a consolidated grant amount. 10 (c) In fixing standards to govern payments or 11 reimbursements for funeral and burial expenses, the 12 Department shall take into account the services essential to 13 a dignified, low-cost funeral and burial, but no payment 14 shall be authorized from public aid funds for the funeral in 15 excess of $650, exclusive of reasonable amounts as may be 16 necessary for burial space and cemetery charges, and any 17 applicable taxes or other required governmental fees or 18 charges. The Department shall authorize no payment in excess 19 of $325 for a cemetery burial. 20 (d) Nothing contained in this Section or in any other 21 Section of this Code shall be construed to prohibit the 22 Illinois Department (1) from consolidating existing standards 23 on the basis of any standards which are or were in effect on, 24 or subsequent to July 1, 1969, or (2) from employing any 25 consolidated standards in determining need for public aid and 26 the amount of money payment or grant for individual 27 recipients or recipient families. 28 (e) When a recipient reports that he or she has obtained 29 employment, the Department, subject to the following 30 limitations, may project the recipient's likely earnings and 31 eligibility for assistance and grant level under Article IV: 32 (1) If, based on the recipient's report of his or 33 her projected hours and wage, the Department projects 34 that the recipient will no longer be eligible for HB1846 Engrossed -3- LRB9105229SMdv 1 assistance under Article IV, it may terminate or cancel 2 the case. However, if, within 30 days after termination 3 or cancellation, the recipient presents evidence that the 4 actual earnings from the recipient's work, or future 5 earnings projected based on the rate of pay and number of 6 hours or days of work demonstrated by the first payment 7 from work, do not warrant termination or cancellation, 8 the recipient's cash assistance shall be restored at the 9 appropriate level for his or her actual and future 10 projected earnings. 11 (2) When the recipient first reports his or her 12 employment, the Department shall notify him or her in 13 writing of this policy and shall give him or her 14 instructions about how to provide a copy of his or her 15 first paycheck stub or other proof of his or her earnings 16 to the Department. The Department shall instruct its 17 workers to obtain income reports from newly-employed 18 recipients that are as accurate and realistic as 19 possible. 20 (Source: P.A. 89-507, eff. 7-1-97; 90-17, eff. 7-1-97; 21 90-326, eff. 8-8-97; 90-372, eff. 7-1-98; 90-655, eff. 22 7-30-98.) 23 (305 ILCS 5/12-4.17a new) 24 Sec. 12-4.17a. Customer service enhancement. 25 (a) The Department shall provide in the waiting area of 26 each local office written information regarding applicants' 27 and recipients' rights to appeal action or inaction and to 28 file a grievance, as well as sufficient quantities of appeal 29 and grievance forms. 30 (b) The Department shall establish 2-year pilot projects 31 in at least 2 local offices, at least one of which shall be 32 in a city of over 500,000, under which the local offices will 33 be open at least one weekday evening and Saturday each week HB1846 Engrossed -4- LRB9105229SMdv 1 to accommodate the schedules of applicants and recipients who 2 cannot visit the office during normal office hours. The 3 Department shall submit a report on the pilot project to the 4 Family Self Sufficiency Advisory Council created by the 5 Department after one year of operation of the pilot and a 6 final report upon completion of the pilot. The report shall 7 describe the pilot, the expenses and savings achieved, the 8 usage of the extended hours by recipients, and the personnel 9 issues that arose. 10 (c) The Department shall charge the Family Self 11 Sufficiency Advisory Council created by the Department with 12 monitoring customer service and annually making customer 13 service recommendations to the Secretary, and support the 14 Council in carrying out that charge. For this purpose, the 15 Council shall include caseworkers, or their collective 16 bargaining representatives, as ex-officio participants in the 17 review and monitoring of customer service and the formulation 18 of recommendations. 19 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 20 becoming law.