Public Act 90-0251 of the 90th General Assembly

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Public Act 90-0251

HB1316 Enrolled                                LRB9003724MWsb

    AN ACT to amend the Illinois Act on the Aging by changing
Section 4.01.

    Be it enacted by the People of  the  State  of  Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:

    Section  5.   The Illinois Act on the Aging is amended by
changing Section 4.01 as follows:

    (20 ILCS 105/4.01) (from Ch. 23, par. 6104.01)
    Sec.  4.01.   Additional  powers  and   duties   of   the
Department.   In  addition  to  powers  and  duties otherwise
provided by law, the  Department  shall  have  the  following
powers and duties:
    (1)  To  evaluate  all programs, services, and facilities
for the aged and for  minority  senior  citizens  within  the
State  and  determine  the  extent to which present public or
private programs, services and facilities meet the  needs  of
the aged.
    (2)  To  coordinate  and evaluate all programs, services,
and facilities for the Aging and for minority senior citizens
presently furnished by State agencies  and  make  appropriate
recommendations   regarding   such   services,  programs  and
facilities to the Governor and/or the General Assembly.
    (3)  To function as the sole State agency  to  develop  a
comprehensive  plan  to  meet the needs of the State's senior
citizens and the State's minority senior citizens.
    (4)  To receive and disburse State and federal funds made
available directly to the Department  including  those  funds
made  available  under the Older Americans Act and the Senior
Community Service Employment Program for  providing  services
for  senior  citizens  and  minority  senior  citizens or for
purposes related thereto, and shall  develop  and  administer
any State Plan for the Aging required by federal law.
    (5)  To  solicit,  accept, hold, and administer in behalf
of the State any grants or legacies of money, securities,  or
property  to  the  State  of  Illinois for services to senior
citizens and minority senior  citizens  or  purposes  related
thereto.
    (6)  To    provide   consultation   and   assistance   to
communities, area agencies on aging,  and  groups  developing
local  services  for  senior  citizens  and  minority  senior
citizens.
    (7)  To   promote   community   education  regarding  the
problems of senior  citizens  and  minority  senior  citizens
through  institutes,  publications, radio, television and the
local press.
    (8)  To cooperate with agencies of the federal government
in studies and conferences designed to examine the  needs  of
senior  citizens  and minority senior citizens and to prepare
programs and facilities to meet those needs.
    (9)  To establish and maintain information  and  referral
sources  throughout  the  State  when  not  provided by other
agencies.
    (10)  To provide the staff support as may  reasonably  be
required  by  the  Council  and the Coordinating Committee of
State Agencies Serving Older Persons.
    (11)  To make and enforce rules and regulations necessary
and proper to the performance of its duties.
    (12)  To establish  and  fund  programs  or  projects  or
experimental   facilities  that  are  specially  designed  as
alternatives to institutional care.
    (13)  To  develop  a  training  program  to   train   the
counselors  presently  employed  by  the  Department's  aging
network to provide Medicare beneficiaries with counseling and
advocacy  in  Medicare, private health insurance, and related
health care coverage plans.  The Department shall  report  to
the  General  Assembly  on the implementation of the training
program on or before December 1, 1986.
    (14)  To  make  a  grant  to  an  institution  of  higher
learning  to  study  the  feasibility  of  establishing   and
implementing  an  affirmative  action employment plan for the
recruitment, hiring, training and retraining of persons 60 or
more years old for jobs for which their employment would  not
be precluded by law.
    (15)  To  present  one  award  annually  in  each  of the
categories of community service, education,  the  performance
and graphic arts, and the labor force to outstanding Illinois
senior  citizens  and minority senior citizens in recognition
of  their  individual  contributions  to   either   community
service,  education, the performance and graphic arts, or the
labor force.  The awards shall be presented  to  four  senior
citizens and minority senior citizens selected from a list of
44 nominees compiled annually by the Department.  Nominations
shall  be  solicited from senior citizens' service providers,
area agencies on aging, senior citizens' centers, and  senior
citizens'  organizations.  The  Department shall consult with
the Coordinating Committee of State  Agencies  Serving  Older
Persons  to  determine  which  of  the  nominees shall be the
recipient  in  each  category  of  community  service.    The
Department  shall  establish  a  central  location within the
State to be designated as the Senior Illinoisans Hall of Fame
for the public display of all the annual awards, or  replicas
thereof.
    (16)  To  establish  multipurpose  senior centers through
area agencies on aging and to fund  those  new  and  existing
multipurpose  senior  centers through area agencies on aging,
the establishment and funding to begin in such areas  of  the
State  as  the  Department  shall  designate  by  rule and as
specifically appropriated funds become available.
    (17)  To  develop  the  content   and   format   of   the
acknowledgment  regarding non-recourse reverse mortgage loans
under Section 6.1 of the Illinois  Banking  Act;  to  provide
independent  consumer  information  on  reverse mortgages and
alternatives;  and  to   refer   consumers   to   independent
counseling services with expertise in reverse mortgages.
    (18)  To  develop a pamphlet in English and Spanish which
may be used by physicians licensed to  practice  medicine  in
all  of  its branches pursuant to the Medical Practice Act of
1987, pharmacists licensed pursuant to the Pharmacy  Practice
Act  and  Illinois residents 65 years of age or older for the
purpose of assisting physicians, pharmacists, and patients in
monitoring prescriptions provided by various  physicians  and
to  aid  persons  65  years of age or older in complying with
directions for proper use  of  pharmaceutical  prescriptions.
The  pamphlet  may  provide  space  for recording information
including but not limited to the following:
         (a)  name and telephone number of the patient;
         (b)  name and telephone number  of  the  prescribing
    physician;
         (c)  date of prescription;
         (d)  name of drug prescribed;
         (e)   directions for patient compliance; and
         (f)  name   and   telephone   number  of  dispensing
    pharmacy.
    In developing the pamphlet, the Department shall  consult
with  the  Illinois  State  Medical  Society,  the Center for
Minority   Health   Services,   the   Illinois    Pharmacists
Association   and   senior   citizens   organizations.    The
Department  shall  distribute  the  pamphlets  to physicians,
pharmacists and persons 65 years of age or older  or  various
senior citizen organizations throughout the State.
    (19)  To  conduct  a  study  by  April  1,  1994  of  the
feasibility  of  implementing  the  Senior  Companion Program
throughout the State for the fiscal year  beginning  July  1,
1994.
    (20)  With  respect  to  contracts  in  effect on July 1,
1994, the Department shall increase the grant amounts so that
the reimbursement  rates  paid  through  the  community  care
program for chore housekeeping services and homemakers are at
the  same  rate,  which  shall  be  the higher of the 2 rates
currently paid.  With respect to all contracts entered  into,
renewed,   or   extended  on  or  after  July  1,  1994,  the
reimbursement rates paid through the community  care  program
for  chore  housekeeping services and homemakers shall be the
same.
    (21)  From funds appropriated to the Department from  the
Meals  on  Wheels  Fund, a special fund in the State treasury
that is hereby created, and  in  accordance  with  State  and
federal  guidelines  and  the  intrastate funding formula, to
make grants to area agencies  on  aging,  designated  by  the
Department,  for  the  sole  purpose  of  delivering meals to
homebound persons 60 years of age and older.
    (22)  To distribute, through its area agencies on  aging,
information  alerting  seniors  on  safety  issues  regarding
emergency  weather  conditions,  including  extreme  heat and
cold,  flooding,  tornadoes,  electrical  storms,  and  other
severe storm weather.   The  information  shall  include  all
necessary instructions for safety and all emergency telephone
numbers   of   organizations  that  will  provide  additional
information and assistance.
    (23)  To develop  guidelines  for  the  organization  and
implementation  of  Volunteer  Services Credit Programs to be
administered by Area Agencies on  Aging  or  community  based
senior  service  organizations.   The  Department  shall hold
public  hearings  on  the  proposed  guidelines  for   public
comment,  suggestion,  and  determination of public interest.
The guidelines shall be based on the findings of other states
and of community organizations in Illinois that are currently
operating volunteer services credit programs or demonstration
volunteer services credit  programs.   The  Department  shall
offer  guidelines  for all aspects of the programs including,
but not limited to, the following:
         (a)  types of services to be offered by volunteers;
         (b)  types of  services  to  be  received  upon  the
    redemption of service credits;
         (c)  issues  of liability for the volunteers and the
    administering organizations;
         (d)  methods of tracking service credits earned  and
    service credits redeemed;
         (e)  issues of time limits for redemption of service
    credits;
         (f)  methods of recruitment of volunteers;
         (g)  utilization  of community volunteers, community
    service  groups,  and  other  resources  for   delivering
    services   to  be  received  by  service  credit  program
    clients;
         (h)  accountability and assurance that services will
    be available  to  individuals  who  have  earned  service
    credits; and
         (i)  volunteer screening and qualifications.
The  Department shall submit a written copy of the guidelines
to the General Assembly by July 1, 1998.
(Source: P.A. 88-55; 88-252; 88-254; 88-459; 88-500;  88-670,
eff. 12-2-94; 89-249, eff. 8-4-95; 89-580, eff. 1-1-97.)

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