HB4923 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB103 36339 KTG 66438 b

103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB4923

Introduced 2/7/2024, by Rep. Mary E. Flowers

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

30 ILCS 105/5.1015 new
305 ILCS 5/5-55 new

Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that subject to appropriation, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, in collaboration with the Department of Human Services and the Department of Public Health (the Departments), shall establish and administer a Medical-Legal Partnership Grant Program that awards annual grants to medical-legal partnerships that provide legal services without charge to assist low-income individuals and families in resolving legal matters or other needs that have a negative impact on their health. Provides that to be eligible for a grant under the program, a medical-legal partnership must demonstrate its ability and experience in providing high quality patient-centered legal services aimed at addressing their patient's health-harming social and legal needs. Requires selected medical-legal partnerships to also comply with standards and guidelines established by the Departments. Requires the Departments to seek input from legal services organizations, community health advocacy organizations, hospitals, and other health care providers in establishing such standards and guidelines. Provides that grant amounts may be used to expand the capacity of existing medical-legal partnerships to provide patients with wraparound services related to housing instability or homelessness, landlord-tenant mediation, income support and rental assistance, food insecurity, family stability, respite care, immigration, and mental health or substance use treatment. Provides that grant amounts may also be awarded to establish medical-legal partnerships in underserved communities. Provides that Community health centers, private or public hospitals, nonprofit legal aid organizations, behavioral health facilities, and other specified entities may apply for program grants. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to adopt rules. Requires the Department to apply for all federal approvals and waivers necessary to cover wraparound services provided by medical-legal partnerships to medical assistance recipients who have chronic health conditions and health-harming social and legal needs. Creates the Medical-Legal Partnership Grant Program Fund under the State Finance Act.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning public aid.

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

Section 5. The State Finance Act is amended by adding Section 5.1015 as follows:

(30 ILCS 105/5.1015 new)

Sec. 5.1015. The Medical-Legal Partnership Grant Program Fund.

Section 10. The Illinois Public Aid Code is amended by adding Section 5-55 as follows:

(305 ILCS 5/5-55 new)

Sec. 5-55. Medical-Legal Partnership Grant Program.

(a) Definitions. As used in this Section:

"Departments" means the Departments of Healthcare and Family Services, Human Services, and Public Health.

"Medical-legal partnership" means a program conducted or established by a nonprofit entity through a collaboration pursuant to a written agreement between one or more medical service providers and one or more legal services programs, including those based within a law school, to provide legal services without charge to assist income-eligible individuals and their families in resolving legal matters or other needs that have an impact on the health of such individuals and families. Written agreements may include a memorandum of understanding or other agreement relating to the operations of the partnership and encompassing the rights and responsibilities of each party thereto. The medical service provider or providers may provide referrals of its patients to the legal services program or programs on matters that may potentially impact the health, health care, or the health care costs of a patient.

(b) Subject to appropriation, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, in collaboration with the Department of Human Services and the Department of Public Health, shall establish and administer a Medical-Legal Partnership Grant Program that awards annual grants to medical-legal partnerships located within the State that provide legal services without charge to assist low-income individuals and families in resolving legal matters or other needs that have a negative impact on their health. To be eligible for a grant under the program, a medical-legal partnership must demonstrate its ability and experience in providing high quality patient-centered legal services aimed at addressing their patient's health-harming social and legal needs. Selected medical-legal partnerships must also comply with standards and guidelines established for such partnerships as determined by the Departments. The Departments shall seek input from legal services organizations, community health advocacy organizations, hospitals, diagnostic and treatment centers, and other primary and specialty health care providers in establishing such standards and guidelines.

(c) Grants amounts awarded under the program may be used to expand the capacity of existing medical-legal partnerships and increase programming for vulnerable individuals and families by, at a minimum:

(1) expanding their interdisciplinary team of attorneys, physicians, and social workers to address patients' health-harming social and legal needs;

(2) increasing patient access to patient-centered case management services through the use of designated social service navigators or care coordinators tasked with assessing and identifying the patient's specific social and legal needs before connecting the patient to wraparound services related to housing instability or homelessness, landlord-tenant mediation, income support and rental assistance, food insecurity, family stability, respite care, immigration, and mental health or substance use treatment; and

(3) purchasing the technology and personnel needed to facilitate remote and in-person legal consultations with an attorney.

Grants amounts may also be awarded to establish medical-legal partnerships in underserved communities.

(d) The following entities are eligible to apply for grants:

(1) Community health centers.

(2) Private or public hospitals.

(3) Nonprofit legal aid organizations.

(4) Public health clinics.

(5) Federally qualified health centers as defined in Section 1905(l)(2)(B) of the federal Social Security Act.

(6) Behavioral health facilities.

(7) Law schools.

(e) The Department of Healthcare and Family Services shall adopt any rules necessary to implement the program including, but not limited to, rules on application and certification requirements for grant applicants and rules on reporting and data collection for grantees in order to enable the Department to track and ensure that grantees are utilizing grant funds consistent with the purposes of this Section.

(f) The Medical-Legal Partnership Grant Program Fund is created as a special fund in the State treasury. The fund shall consist of any appropriations made to the Department of Healthcare and Family Services for the purpose of the Medical-Legal Partnership Grant Program and all other moneys received for the fund from any other source. Moneys deposited into the fund shall be used for the Medical-Legal Partnership Grant Program and for no other purpose. All interest earned on moneys in the fund shall be deposited into the fund.

(e) The Department shall apply for all federal approvals and waivers necessary to cover wraparound services provided by medical-legal partnerships to medical assistance recipients who have chronic health conditions, as defined by the Department by rule, and health-harming social and legal needs. The wraparound services covered under this subsection shall be available under both the fee-for-service and managed care medical assistance programs and shall not supplant other covered medical assistance benefits that are the responsibility of the Department or a managed care organization to provide to a medical assistance recipient. Implementation of this subsection shall be contingent upon the Department's receipt of all necessary federal approvals and waivers.