HB4541 EngrossedLRB097 16788 KTG 61968 b

1    AN ACT concerning State government.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Disabled Persons Rehabilitation Act is
5amended by changing Section 3 as follows:
 
6    (20 ILCS 2405/3)  (from Ch. 23, par. 3434)
7    Sec. 3. Powers and duties. The Department shall have the
8powers and duties enumerated herein:
9    (a) To co-operate with the federal government in the
10administration of the provisions of the federal Rehabilitation
11Act of 1973, as amended, of the Workforce Investment Act of
121998, and of the federal Social Security Act to the extent and
13in the manner provided in these Acts.
14    (b) To prescribe and supervise such courses of vocational
15training and provide such other services as may be necessary
16for the habilitation and rehabilitation of persons with one or
17more disabilities, including the administrative activities
18under subsection (e) of this Section, and to co-operate with
19State and local school authorities and other recognized
20agencies engaged in habilitation, rehabilitation and
21comprehensive rehabilitation services; and to cooperate with
22the Department of Children and Family Services regarding the
23care and education of children with one or more disabilities.

 

 

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1    (c) (Blank).
2    (d) To report in writing, to the Governor, annually on or
3before the first day of December, and at such other times and
4in such manner and upon such subjects as the Governor may
5require. The annual report shall contain (1) a statement of the
6existing condition of comprehensive rehabilitation services,
7habilitation and rehabilitation in the State; (2) a statement
8of suggestions and recommendations with reference to the
9development of comprehensive rehabilitation services,
10habilitation and rehabilitation in the State; and (3) an
11itemized statement of the amounts of money received from
12federal, State and other sources, and of the objects and
13purposes to which the respective items of these several amounts
14have been devoted.
15    (e) (Blank).
16    (f) To establish a program of services to prevent
17unnecessary institutionalization of persons with Alzheimer's
18disease and related disorders or persons in need of long term
19care who are established as blind or disabled as defined by the
20Social Security Act, thereby enabling them to remain in their
21own homes or other living arrangements. Such preventive
22services may include, but are not limited to, any or all of the
23following:
24        (1) home health services;
25        (2) home nursing services;
26        (3) homemaker services;

 

 

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1        (4) chore and housekeeping services;
2        (5) day care services;
3        (6) home-delivered meals;
4        (7) education in self-care;
5        (8) personal care services;
6        (9) adult day health services;
7        (10) habilitation services;
8        (11) respite care; or
9        (12) other nonmedical social services that may enable
10    the person to become self-supporting.
11    The Department shall establish eligibility standards for
12such services taking into consideration the unique economic and
13social needs of the population for whom they are to be
14provided. Such eligibility standards may be based on the
15recipient's ability to pay for services; provided, however,
16that any portion of a person's income that is equal to or less
17than the "protected income" level shall not be considered by
18the Department in determining eligibility. The "protected
19income" level shall be determined by the Department, shall
20never be less than the federal poverty standard, and shall be
21adjusted each year to reflect changes in the Consumer Price
22Index For All Urban Consumers as determined by the United
23States Department of Labor. The standards must provide that a
24person may have not more than $10,000 in assets to be eligible
25for the services, and the Department may increase the asset
26limitation by rule. Additionally, in determining the amount and

 

 

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1nature of services for which a person may qualify,
2consideration shall not be given to the value of cash, property
3or other assets held in the name of the person's spouse
4pursuant to a written agreement dividing marital property into
5equal but separate shares or pursuant to a transfer of the
6person's interest in a home to his spouse, provided that the
7spouse's share of the marital property is not made available to
8the person seeking such services.
9    The services shall be provided to eligible persons to
10prevent unnecessary or premature institutionalization, to the
11extent that the cost of the services, together with the other
12personal maintenance expenses of the persons, are reasonably
13related to the standards established for care in a group
14facility appropriate to their condition. These
15non-institutional services, pilot projects or experimental
16facilities may be provided as part of or in addition to those
17authorized by federal law or those funded and administered by
18the Illinois Department on Aging.
19    Personal care attendants shall be paid:
20        (i) A $5 per hour minimum rate beginning July 1, 1995.
21        (ii) A $5.30 per hour minimum rate beginning July 1,
22    1997.
23        (iii) A $5.40 per hour minimum rate beginning July 1,
24    1998.
25    Solely for the purposes of coverage under the Illinois
26Public Labor Relations Act (5 ILCS 315/), personal care

 

 

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1attendants and personal assistants providing services under
2the Department's Home Services Program shall be considered to
3be public employees and the State of Illinois shall be
4considered to be their employer as of the effective date of
5this amendatory Act of the 93rd General Assembly, but not
6before. The State shall engage in collective bargaining with an
7exclusive representative of personal care attendants and
8personal assistants working under the Home Services Program
9concerning their terms and conditions of employment that are
10within the State's control. Nothing in this paragraph shall be
11understood to limit the right of the persons receiving services
12defined in this Section to hire and fire personal care
13attendants and personal assistants or supervise them within the
14limitations set by the Home Services Program. The State shall
15not be considered to be the employer of personal care
16attendants and personal assistants for any purposes not
17specifically provided in this amendatory Act of the 93rd
18General Assembly, including but not limited to, purposes of
19vicarious liability in tort and purposes of statutory
20retirement or health insurance benefits. Personal care
21attendants and personal assistants shall not be covered by the
22State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971 (5 ILCS 375/).
23    Any person providing services as a personal assistant or an
24individual provider under the Department's Home Services
25Program shall submit to a criminal history background check.
26The Department shall promulgate rules that (i) are necessary to

 

 

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1implement this provision; and (ii) indicate any condition or
2circumstance when a personal assistant or individual provider
3shall be denied employment as a result of the criminal history
4background check. For purposes of this paragraph, "individual
5provider" means a person providing services under the Home
6Services Program who is a personal assistant, registered nurse,
7licensed practical nurse, certified nurse assistant,
8occupational therapist, physical therapist, or speech
9therapist and has been privately hired by the customer.
10    The Department shall execute, relative to the nursing home
11prescreening project, as authorized by Section 4.03 of the
12Illinois Act on the Aging, written inter-agency agreements with
13the Department on Aging and the Department of Public Aid (now
14Department of Healthcare and Family Services), to effect the
15following: (i) intake procedures and common eligibility
16criteria for those persons who are receiving non-institutional
17services; and (ii) the establishment and development of
18non-institutional services in areas of the State where they are
19not currently available or are undeveloped. On and after July
201, 1996, all nursing home prescreenings for individuals 18
21through 59 years of age shall be conducted by the Department.
22    The Department is authorized to establish a system of
23recipient cost-sharing for services provided under this
24Section. The cost-sharing shall be based upon the recipient's
25ability to pay for services, but in no case shall the
26recipient's share exceed the actual cost of the services

 

 

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1provided. Protected income shall not be considered by the
2Department in its determination of the recipient's ability to
3pay a share of the cost of services. The level of cost-sharing
4shall be adjusted each year to reflect changes in the
5"protected income" level. The Department shall deduct from the
6recipient's share of the cost of services any money expended by
7the recipient for disability-related expenses.
8    The Department, or the Department's authorized
9representative, shall recover the amount of moneys expended for
10services provided to or in behalf of a person under this
11Section by a claim against the person's estate or against the
12estate of the person's surviving spouse, but no recovery may be
13had until after the death of the surviving spouse, if any, and
14then only at such time when there is no surviving child who is
15under age 21, blind, or permanently and totally disabled. This
16paragraph, however, shall not bar recovery, at the death of the
17person, of moneys for services provided to the person or in
18behalf of the person under this Section to which the person was
19not entitled; provided that such recovery shall not be enforced
20against any real estate while it is occupied as a homestead by
21the surviving spouse or other dependent, if no claims by other
22creditors have been filed against the estate, or, if such
23claims have been filed, they remain dormant for failure of
24prosecution or failure of the claimant to compel administration
25of the estate for the purpose of payment. This paragraph shall
26not bar recovery from the estate of a spouse, under Sections

 

 

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11915 and 1924 of the Social Security Act and Section 5-4 of the
2Illinois Public Aid Code, who precedes a person receiving
3services under this Section in death. All moneys for services
4paid to or in behalf of the person under this Section shall be
5claimed for recovery from the deceased spouse's estate.
6"Homestead", as used in this paragraph, means the dwelling
7house and contiguous real estate occupied by a surviving spouse
8or relative, as defined by the rules and regulations of the
9Department of Healthcare and Family Services, regardless of the
10value of the property.
11    The Department and the Department on Aging shall cooperate
12in the development and submission of an annual report on
13programs and services provided under this Section. Such joint
14report shall be filed with the Governor and the General
15Assembly on or before March 30 each year.
16    The requirement for reporting to the General Assembly shall
17be satisfied by filing copies of the report with the Speaker,
18the Minority Leader and the Clerk of the House of
19Representatives and the President, the Minority Leader and the
20Secretary of the Senate and the Legislative Research Unit, as
21required by Section 3.1 of the General Assembly Organization
22Act, and filing additional copies with the State Government
23Report Distribution Center for the General Assembly as required
24under paragraph (t) of Section 7 of the State Library Act.
25    (g) To establish such subdivisions of the Department as
26shall be desirable and assign to the various subdivisions the

 

 

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1responsibilities and duties placed upon the Department by law.
2    (h) To cooperate and enter into any necessary agreements
3with the Department of Employment Security for the provision of
4job placement and job referral services to clients of the
5Department, including job service registration of such clients
6with Illinois Employment Security offices and making job
7listings maintained by the Department of Employment Security
8available to such clients.
9    (i) To possess all powers reasonable and necessary for the
10exercise and administration of the powers, duties and
11responsibilities of the Department which are provided for by
12law.
13    (j) To establish a procedure whereby new providers of
14personal care attendant services shall submit vouchers to the
15State for payment two times during their first month of
16employment and one time per month thereafter. In no case shall
17the Department pay personal care attendants an hourly wage that
18is less than the federal minimum wage.
19    (k) To provide adequate notice to providers of chore and
20housekeeping services informing them that they are entitled to
21an interest payment on bills which are not promptly paid
22pursuant to Section 3 of the State Prompt Payment Act.
23    (l) To establish, operate and maintain a Statewide Housing
24Clearinghouse of information on available, government
25subsidized housing accessible to disabled persons and
26available privately owned housing accessible to disabled

 

 

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1persons. The information shall include but not be limited to
2the location, rental requirements, access features and
3proximity to public transportation of available housing. The
4Clearinghouse shall consist of at least a computerized database
5for the storage and retrieval of information and a separate or
6shared toll free telephone number for use by those seeking
7information from the Clearinghouse. Department offices and
8personnel throughout the State shall also assist in the
9operation of the Statewide Housing Clearinghouse. Cooperation
10with local, State and federal housing managers shall be sought
11and extended in order to frequently and promptly update the
12Clearinghouse's information.
13    (m) To assure that the names and case records of persons
14who received or are receiving services from the Department,
15including persons receiving vocational rehabilitation, home
16services, or other services, and those attending one of the
17Department's schools or other supervised facility shall be
18confidential and not be open to the general public. Those case
19records and reports or the information contained in those
20records and reports shall be disclosed by the Director only to
21proper law enforcement officials, individuals authorized by a
22court, the General Assembly or any committee or commission of
23the General Assembly, and other persons and for reasons as the
24Director designates by rule. Disclosure by the Director may be
25only in accordance with other applicable law.
26(Source: P.A. 94-252, eff. 1-1-06; 95-331, eff. 8-21-07.)