HB4021 EngrossedLRB098 15577 KTG 50608 b

1    AN ACT concerning public aid.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Department of Human Services Act is amended
5by changing Section 1-17 as follows:
 
6    (20 ILCS 1305/1-17)
7    Sec. 1-17. Inspector General.
8    (a) Nature and purpose. It is the express intent of the
9General Assembly to ensure the health, safety, and financial
10condition of individuals receiving services in this State due
11to mental illness, developmental disability, or both by
12protecting those persons from acts of abuse, neglect, or both
13by service providers. To that end, the Office of the Inspector
14General for the Department of Human Services is created to
15investigate and report upon allegations of the abuse, neglect,
16or financial exploitation of individuals receiving services
17within mental health facilities, developmental disabilities
18facilities, and community agencies operated, licensed, funded
19or certified by the Department of Human Services, but not
20licensed or certified by any other State agency.
21    (b) Definitions. The following definitions apply to this
22Section:
23    "Adult student with a disability" means an adult student,

 

 

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1age 18 through 21, inclusive, with an Individual Education
2Program, other than a resident of a facility licensed by the
3Department of Children and Family Services in accordance with
4the Child Care Act of 1969. For purposes of this definition,
5"through age 21, inclusive", means through the day before the
6student's 22nd birthday.
7    "Agency" or "community agency" means (i) a community agency
8licensed, funded, or certified by the Department, but not
9licensed or certified by any other human services agency of the
10State, to provide mental health service or developmental
11disabilities service, or (ii) a program licensed, funded, or
12certified by the Department, but not licensed or certified by
13any other human services agency of the State, to provide mental
14health service or developmental disabilities service.
15    "Aggravating circumstance" means a factor that is
16attendant to a finding and that tends to compound or increase
17the culpability of the accused.
18    "Allegation" means an assertion, complaint, suspicion, or
19incident involving any of the following conduct by an employee,
20facility, or agency against an individual or individuals:
21mental abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, or
22financial exploitation.
23    "Day" means working day, unless otherwise specified.
24    "Deflection" means a situation in which an individual is
25presented for admission to a facility or agency, and the
26facility staff or agency staff do not admit the individual.

 

 

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1"Deflection" includes triage, redirection, and denial of
2admission.
3    "Department" means the Department of Human Services.
4    "Developmentally disabled" means having a developmental
5disability.
6    "Developmental disability" means "developmental
7disability" as defined in the Mental Health and Developmental
8Disabilities Code.
9    "Egregious neglect" means a finding of neglect as
10determined by the Inspector General that (i) represents a gross
11failure to adequately provide for, or a callused indifference
12to, the health, safety, or medical needs of an individual and
13(ii) results in an individual's death or other serious
14deterioration of an individual's physical condition or mental
15condition.
16    "Employee" means any person who provides services at the
17facility or agency on-site or off-site. The service
18relationship can be with the individual or with the facility or
19agency. Also, "employee" includes any employee or contractual
20agent of the Department of Human Services or the community
21agency involved in providing or monitoring or administering
22mental health or developmental disability services. This
23includes but is not limited to: owners, operators, payroll
24personnel, contractors, subcontractors, and volunteers.
25    "Facility" or "State-operated facility" means a mental
26health facility or developmental disabilities facility

 

 

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1operated by the Department.
2    "Financial exploitation" means taking unjust advantage of
3an individual's assets, property, or financial resources
4through deception, intimidation, or conversion for the
5employee's, facility's, or agency's own advantage or benefit.
6    "Finding" means the Office of Inspector General's
7determination regarding whether an allegation is
8substantiated, unsubstantiated, or unfounded.
9    "Health care worker registry" or "registry" means the
10health care worker registry created by the Nursing Home Care
11Act.
12    "Individual" means any person receiving mental health
13service, developmental disabilities service, or both from a
14facility or agency, while either on-site or off-site.
15    "Mental abuse" means the use of demeaning, intimidating, or
16threatening words, signs, gestures, or other actions by an
17employee about an individual and in the presence of an
18individual or individuals that results in emotional distress or
19maladaptive behavior, or could have resulted in emotional
20distress or maladaptive behavior, for any individual present.
21    "Mental illness" means "mental illness" as defined in the
22Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code.
23    "Mentally ill" means having a mental illness.
24    "Mitigating circumstance" means a condition that (i) is
25attendant to a finding, (ii) does not excuse or justify the
26conduct in question, but (iii) may be considered in evaluating

 

 

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1the severity of the conduct, the culpability of the accused, or
2both the severity of the conduct and the culpability of the
3accused.
4    "Neglect" means an employee's, agency's, or facility's
5failure to provide adequate medical care, personal care, or
6maintenance and that, as a consequence, (i) causes an
7individual pain, injury, or emotional distress, (ii) results in
8either an individual's maladaptive behavior or the
9deterioration of an individual's physical condition or mental
10condition, or (iii) places the individual's health or safety at
11substantial risk.
12    "Physical abuse" means an employee's non-accidental and
13inappropriate contact with an individual that causes bodily
14harm. "Physical abuse" includes actions that cause bodily harm
15as a result of an employee directing an individual or person to
16physically abuse another individual.
17    "Recommendation" means an admonition, separate from a
18finding, that requires action by the facility, agency, or
19Department to correct a systemic issue, problem, or deficiency
20identified during an investigation.
21    "Required reporter" means any employee who suspects,
22witnesses, or is informed of an allegation of any one or more
23of the following: mental abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse,
24neglect, or financial exploitation.
25    "Secretary" means the Chief Administrative Officer of the
26Department.

 

 

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1    "Sexual abuse" means any sexual contact or intimate
2physical contact between an employee and an individual,
3including an employee's coercion or encouragement of an
4individual to engage in sexual behavior that results in sexual
5contact, intimate physical contact, sexual behavior, or
6intimate physical behavior.
7    "Substantiated" means there is a preponderance of the
8evidence to support the allegation.
9    "Unfounded" means there is no credible evidence to support
10the allegation.
11    "Unsubstantiated" means there is credible evidence, but
12less than a preponderance of evidence to support the
13allegation.
14    (c) Appointment. The Governor shall appoint, and the Senate
15shall confirm, an Inspector General. The Inspector General
16shall be appointed for a term of 4 years and shall function
17within the Department of Human Services and report to the
18Secretary and the Governor.
19    (d) Operation and appropriation. The Inspector General
20shall function independently within the Department with
21respect to the operations of the Office, including the
22performance of investigations and issuance of findings and
23recommendations. The appropriation for the Office of Inspector
24General shall be separate from the overall appropriation for
25the Department.
26    (e) Powers and duties. The Inspector General shall

 

 

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1investigate reports of suspected mental abuse, physical abuse,
2sexual abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation of
3individuals in any mental health or developmental disabilities
4facility or agency and shall have authority to take immediate
5action to prevent any one or more of the following from
6happening to individuals under its jurisdiction: mental abuse,
7physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, or financial
8exploitation. Upon written request of an agency of this State,
9the Inspector General may assist another agency of the State in
10investigating reports of the abuse, neglect, or abuse and
11neglect of persons with mental illness, persons with
12developmental disabilities, or persons with both. To comply
13with the requirements of subsection (k) of this Section, the
14Inspector General shall also review all reportable deaths for
15which there is no allegation of abuse or neglect. Nothing in
16this Section shall preempt any duties of the Medical Review
17Board set forth in the Mental Health and Developmental
18Disabilities Code. The Inspector General shall have no
19authority to investigate alleged violations of the State
20Officials and Employees Ethics Act. Allegations of misconduct
21under the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act shall be
22referred to the Office of the Governor's Executive Inspector
23General for investigation.
24    (f) Limitations. The Inspector General shall not conduct an
25investigation within an agency or facility if that
26investigation would be redundant to or interfere with an

 

 

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1investigation conducted by another State agency. The Inspector
2General shall have no supervision over, or involvement in, the
3routine programmatic, licensing, funding, or certification
4operations of the Department. Nothing in this subsection limits
5investigations by the Department that may otherwise be required
6by law or that may be necessary in the Department's capacity as
7central administrative authority responsible for the operation
8of the State's mental health and developmental disabilities
9facilities.
10    (g) Rulemaking authority. The Inspector General shall
11promulgate rules establishing minimum requirements for
12reporting allegations as well as for initiating, conducting,
13and completing investigations based upon the nature of the
14allegation or allegations. The rules shall clearly establish
15that if 2 or more State agencies could investigate an
16allegation, the Inspector General shall not conduct an
17investigation that would be redundant to, or interfere with, an
18investigation conducted by another State agency. The rules
19shall further clarify the method and circumstances under which
20the Office of Inspector General may interact with the
21licensing, funding, or certification units of the Department in
22preventing further occurrences of mental abuse, physical
23abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, egregious neglect, and financial
24exploitation.
25    (h) Training programs. The Inspector General shall (i)
26establish a comprehensive program to ensure that every person

 

 

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1authorized to conduct investigations receives ongoing training
2relative to investigation techniques, communication skills,
3and the appropriate means of interacting with persons receiving
4treatment for mental illness, developmental disability, or
5both mental illness and developmental disability, and (ii)
6establish and conduct periodic training programs for facility
7and agency employees concerning the prevention and reporting of
8any one or more of the following: mental abuse, physical abuse,
9sexual abuse, neglect, egregious neglect, or financial
10exploitation. Nothing in this Section shall be deemed to
11prevent the Office of Inspector General from conducting any
12other training as determined by the Inspector General to be
13necessary or helpful.
14    (i) Duty to cooperate.
15        (1) The Inspector General shall at all times be granted
16    access to any facility or agency for the purpose of
17    investigating any allegation, conducting unannounced site
18    visits, monitoring compliance with a written response, or
19    completing any other statutorily assigned duty. The
20    Inspector General shall conduct unannounced site visits to
21    each facility at least annually for the purpose of
22    reviewing and making recommendations on systemic issues
23    relative to preventing, reporting, investigating, and
24    responding to all of the following: mental abuse, physical
25    abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, egregious neglect, or
26    financial exploitation.

 

 

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1        (2) Any employee who fails to cooperate with an Office
2    of the Inspector General investigation is in violation of
3    this Act. Failure to cooperate with an investigation
4    includes, but is not limited to, any one or more of the
5    following: (i) creating and transmitting a false report to
6    the Office of the Inspector General hotline, (ii) providing
7    false information to an Office of the Inspector General
8    Investigator during an investigation, (iii) colluding with
9    other employees to cover up evidence, (iv) colluding with
10    other employees to provide false information to an Office
11    of the Inspector General investigator, (v) destroying
12    evidence, (vi) withholding evidence, or (vii) otherwise
13    obstructing an Office of the Inspector General
14    investigation. Additionally, any employee who, during an
15    unannounced site visit or written response compliance
16    check, fails to cooperate with requests from the Office of
17    the Inspector General is in violation of this Act.
18    (j) Subpoena powers. The Inspector General shall have the
19power to subpoena witnesses and compel the production of all
20documents and physical evidence relating to his or her
21investigations and any hearings authorized by this Act. This
22subpoena power shall not extend to persons or documents of a
23labor organization or its representatives insofar as the
24persons are acting in a representative capacity to an employee
25whose conduct is the subject of an investigation or the
26documents relate to that representation. Any person who

 

 

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1otherwise fails to respond to a subpoena or who knowingly
2provides false information to the Office of the Inspector
3General by subpoena during an investigation is guilty of a
4Class A misdemeanor.
5    (k) Reporting allegations and deaths.
6        (1) Allegations. If an employee witnesses, is told of,
7    or has reason to believe an incident of mental abuse,
8    physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, or financial
9    exploitation has occurred, the employee, agency, or
10    facility shall report the allegation by phone to the Office
11    of the Inspector General hotline according to the agency's
12    or facility's procedures, but in no event later than 4
13    hours after the initial discovery of the incident,
14    allegation, or suspicion of any one or more of the
15    following: mental abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse,
16    neglect, or financial exploitation. A required reporter as
17    defined in subsection (b) of this Section who knowingly or
18    intentionally fails to comply with these reporting
19    requirements is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
20        (2) Deaths. Absent an allegation, a required reporter
21    shall, within 24 hours after initial discovery, report by
22    phone to the Office of the Inspector General hotline each
23    of the following:
24            (i) Any death of an individual occurring within 14
25        calendar days after discharge or transfer of the
26        individual from a residential program or facility.

 

 

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1            (ii) Any death of an individual occurring within 24
2        hours after deflection from a residential program or
3        facility.
4            (iii) Any other death of an individual occurring at
5        an agency or facility or at any Department-funded site.
6        (3) Retaliation. It is a violation of this Act for any
7    employee or administrator of an agency or facility to take
8    retaliatory action against an employee who acts in good
9    faith in conformance with his or her duties as a required
10    reporter.
11    (l) Reporting to law enforcement.
12        (1) Reporting criminal acts. Within 24 hours after
13    determining that there is credible evidence indicating
14    that a criminal act may have been committed or that special
15    expertise may be required in an investigation, the
16    Inspector General shall notify the Department of State
17    Police or other appropriate law enforcement authority, or
18    ensure that such notification is made. The Department of
19    State Police shall investigate any report from a
20    State-operated facility indicating a possible murder,
21    sexual assault, or other felony by an employee. All
22    investigations conducted by the Inspector General shall be
23    conducted in a manner designed to ensure the preservation
24    of evidence for possible use in a criminal prosecution.
25        (2) Reporting allegations of adult students with
26    disabilities. Upon receipt of a reportable allegation

 

 

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1    regarding an adult student with a disability, the
2    Department's Office of the Inspector General shall
3    determine whether the allegation meets the criteria for the
4    Domestic Abuse Program under the Abuse of Adults with
5    Disabilities Intervention Act. If the allegation is
6    reportable to that program, the Office of the Inspector
7    General shall initiate an investigation. If the allegation
8    is not reportable to the Domestic Abuse Program, the Office
9    of the Inspector General shall make an expeditious referral
10    to the respective law enforcement entity. If the alleged
11    victim is already receiving services from the Department,
12    the Office of the Inspector General shall also make a
13    referral to the respective Department of Human Services'
14    Division or Bureau.
15    (m) Investigative reports. Upon completion of an
16investigation, the Office of Inspector General shall issue an
17investigative report identifying whether the allegations are
18substantiated, unsubstantiated, or unfounded. Within 10
19business days after the transmittal of a completed
20investigative report substantiating an allegation, or if a
21recommendation is made, the Inspector General shall provide the
22investigative report on the case to the Secretary and to the
23director of the facility or agency where any one or more of the
24following occurred: mental abuse, physical abuse, sexual
25abuse, neglect, egregious neglect, or financial exploitation.
26In a substantiated case, the investigative report shall include

 

 

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1any mitigating or aggravating circumstances that were
2identified during the investigation. If the case involves
3substantiated neglect, the investigative report shall also
4state whether egregious neglect was found. An investigative
5report may also set forth recommendations. All investigative
6reports prepared by the Office of the Inspector General shall
7be considered confidential and shall not be released except as
8provided by the law of this State or as required under
9applicable federal law. Unsubstantiated and unfounded reports
10shall not be disclosed except as allowed under Section 6 of the
11Abused and Neglected Long Term Care Facility Residents
12Reporting Act. Raw data used to compile the investigative
13report shall not be subject to release unless required by law
14or a court order. "Raw data used to compile the investigative
15report" includes, but is not limited to, any one or more of the
16following: the initial complaint, witness statements,
17photographs, investigator's notes, police reports, or incident
18reports. If the allegations are substantiated, the accused
19shall be provided with a redacted copy of the investigative
20report. Death reports where there was no allegation of abuse or
21neglect shall only be released pursuant to applicable State or
22federal law or a valid court order.
23    (n) Written responses and reconsideration requests.
24        (1) Written responses. Within 30 calendar days from
25    receipt of a substantiated investigative report or an
26    investigative report which contains recommendations,

 

 

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1    absent a reconsideration request, the facility or agency
2    shall file a written response that addresses, in a concise
3    and reasoned manner, the actions taken to: (i) protect the
4    individual; (ii) prevent recurrences; and (iii) eliminate
5    the problems identified. The response shall include the
6    implementation and completion dates of such actions. If the
7    written response is not filed within the allotted 30
8    calendar day period, the Secretary shall determine the
9    appropriate corrective action to be taken.
10        (2) Reconsideration requests. The facility, agency,
11    victim or guardian, or the subject employee may request
12    that the Office of Inspector General reconsider or clarify
13    its finding based upon additional information.
14    (o) Disclosure of the finding by the Inspector General. The
15Inspector General shall disclose the finding of an
16investigation to the following persons: (i) the Governor, (ii)
17the Secretary, (iii) the director of the facility or agency,
18(iv) the alleged victims and their guardians, (v) the
19complainant, and (vi) the accused. This information shall
20include whether the allegations were deemed substantiated,
21unsubstantiated, or unfounded.
22    (p) Secretary review. Upon review of the Inspector
23General's investigative report and any agency's or facility's
24written response, the Secretary shall accept or reject the
25written response and notify the Inspector General of that
26determination. The Secretary may further direct that other

 

 

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1administrative action be taken, including, but not limited to,
2any one or more of the following: (i) additional site visits,
3(ii) training, (iii) provision of technical assistance
4relative to administrative needs, licensure or certification,
5or (iv) the imposition of appropriate sanctions.
6    (q) Action by facility or agency. Within 30 days of the
7date the Secretary approves the written response or directs
8that further administrative action be taken, the facility or
9agency shall provide an implementation report to the Inspector
10General that provides the status of the action taken. The
11facility or agency shall be allowed an additional 30 days to
12send notice of completion of the action or to send an updated
13implementation report. If the action has not been completed
14within the additional 30 day period, the facility or agency
15shall send updated implementation reports every 60 days until
16completion. The Inspector General shall conduct a review of any
17implementation plan that takes more than 120 days after
18approval to complete, and shall monitor compliance through a
19random review of approved written responses, which may include,
20but are not limited to: (i) site visits, (ii) telephone
21contact, and (iii) requests for additional documentation
22evidencing compliance.
23    (r) Sanctions. Sanctions, if imposed by the Secretary under
24Subdivision (p)(iv) of this Section, shall be designed to
25prevent further acts of mental abuse, physical abuse, sexual
26abuse, neglect, egregious neglect, or financial exploitation

 

 

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1or some combination of one or more of those acts at a facility
2or agency, and may include any one or more of the following:
3        (1) Appointment of on-site monitors.
4        (2) Transfer or relocation of an individual or
5    individuals.
6        (3) Closure of units.
7        (4) Termination of any one or more of the following:
8    (i) Department licensing, (ii) funding, or (iii)
9    certification.
10    The Inspector General may seek the assistance of the
11Illinois Attorney General or the office of any State's Attorney
12in implementing sanctions.
13    (s) Health care worker registry.
14        (1) Reporting to the registry. The Inspector General
15    shall report to the Department of Public Health's health
16    care worker registry, a public registry, the identity and
17    finding of each employee of a facility or agency against
18    whom there is a final investigative report containing a
19    substantiated allegation of physical or sexual abuse,
20    financial exploitation, or egregious neglect of an
21    individual.
22        (2) Notice to employee. Prior to reporting the name of
23    an employee, the employee shall be notified of the
24    Department's obligation to report and shall be granted an
25    opportunity to request an administrative hearing, the sole
26    purpose of which is to determine if the substantiated

 

 

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1    finding warrants reporting to the registry. Notice to the
2    employee shall contain a clear and concise statement of the
3    grounds on which the report to the registry is based, offer
4    the employee an opportunity for a hearing, and identify the
5    process for requesting such a hearing. Notice is sufficient
6    if provided by certified mail to the employee's last known
7    address. If the employee fails to request a hearing within
8    30 days from the date of the notice, the Inspector General
9    shall report the name of the employee to the registry.
10    Nothing in this subdivision (s)(2) shall diminish or impair
11    the rights of a person who is a member of a collective
12    bargaining unit under the Illinois Public Labor Relations
13    Act or under any other federal labor statute.
14        (3) Registry hearings. If the employee requests an
15    administrative hearing, the employee shall be granted an
16    opportunity to appear before an administrative law judge to
17    present reasons why the employee's name should not be
18    reported to the registry. The Department shall bear the
19    burden of presenting evidence that establishes, by a
20    preponderance of the evidence, that the substantiated
21    finding warrants reporting to the registry. After
22    considering all the evidence presented, the administrative
23    law judge shall make a recommendation to the Secretary as
24    to whether the substantiated finding warrants reporting
25    the name of the employee to the registry. The Secretary
26    shall render the final decision. The Department and the

 

 

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1    employee shall have the right to request that the
2    administrative law judge consider a stipulated disposition
3    of these proceedings.
4        (4) Testimony at registry hearings. A person who makes
5    a report or who investigates a report under this Act shall
6    testify fully in any judicial proceeding resulting from
7    such a report, as to any evidence of abuse or neglect, or
8    the cause thereof. No evidence shall be excluded by reason
9    of any common law or statutory privilege relating to
10    communications between the alleged perpetrator of abuse or
11    neglect, or the individual alleged as the victim in the
12    report, and the person making or investigating the report.
13    Testimony at hearings is exempt from the confidentiality
14    requirements of subsection (f) of Section 10 of the Mental
15    Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act.
16        (5) Employee's rights to collateral action. No
17    reporting to the registry shall occur and no hearing shall
18    be set or proceed if an employee notifies the Inspector
19    General in writing, including any supporting
20    documentation, that he or she is formally contesting an
21    adverse employment action resulting from a substantiated
22    finding by complaint filed with the Illinois Civil Service
23    Commission, or which otherwise seeks to enforce the
24    employee's rights pursuant to any applicable collective
25    bargaining agreement. If an action taken by an employer
26    against an employee as a result of a finding of physical

 

 

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1    abuse, sexual abuse, or egregious neglect is overturned
2    through an action filed with the Illinois Civil Service
3    Commission or under any applicable collective bargaining
4    agreement and if that employee's name has already been sent
5    to the registry, the employee's name shall be removed from
6    the registry.
7        (6) Removal from registry. At any time after the report
8    to the registry, but no more than once in any 12-month
9    period, an employee may petition the Department in writing
10    to remove his or her name from the registry. Upon receiving
11    notice of such request, the Inspector General shall conduct
12    an investigation into the petition. Upon receipt of such
13    request, an administrative hearing will be set by the
14    Department. At the hearing, the employee shall bear the
15    burden of presenting evidence that establishes, by a
16    preponderance of the evidence, that removal of the name
17    from the registry is in the public interest. The parties
18    may jointly request that the administrative law judge
19    consider a stipulated disposition of these proceedings.
20    (t) Review of Administrative Decisions. The Department
21shall preserve a record of all proceedings at any formal
22hearing conducted by the Department involving health care
23worker registry hearings. Final administrative decisions of
24the Department are subject to judicial review pursuant to
25provisions of the Administrative Review Law.
26    (u) Quality Care Board. There is created, within the Office

 

 

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1of the Inspector General, a Quality Care Board to be composed
2of 7 members appointed by the Governor with the advice and
3consent of the Senate. One of the members shall be designated
4as chairman by the Governor. Of the initial appointments made
5by the Governor, 4 Board members shall each be appointed for a
6term of 4 years and 3 members shall each be appointed for a
7term of 2 years. Upon the expiration of each member's term, a
8successor shall be appointed for a term of 4 years. In the case
9of a vacancy in the office of any member, the Governor shall
10appoint a successor for the remainder of the unexpired term.
11    Members appointed by the Governor shall be qualified by
12professional knowledge or experience in the area of law,
13investigatory techniques, or in the area of care of the
14mentally ill or developmentally disabled. Two members
15appointed by the Governor shall be persons with a disability or
16a parent of a person with a disability. Members shall serve
17without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for expenses
18incurred in connection with the performance of their duties as
19members.
20    The Board shall meet quarterly, and may hold other meetings
21on the call of the chairman. Four members shall constitute a
22quorum allowing the Board to conduct its business. The Board
23may adopt rules and regulations it deems necessary to govern
24its own procedures.
25    The Board shall monitor and oversee the operations,
26policies, and procedures of the Inspector General to ensure the

 

 

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1prompt and thorough investigation of allegations of neglect and
2abuse. In fulfilling these responsibilities, the Board may do
3the following:
4        (1) Provide independent, expert consultation to the
5    Inspector General on policies and protocols for
6    investigations of alleged abuse, neglect, or both abuse and
7    neglect.
8        (2) Review existing regulations relating to the
9    operation of facilities.
10        (3) Advise the Inspector General as to the content of
11    training activities authorized under this Section.
12        (4) Recommend policies concerning methods for
13    improving the intergovernmental relationships between the
14    Office of the Inspector General and other State or federal
15    offices.
16    (v) Annual report. The Inspector General shall provide to
17the General Assembly and the Governor, no later than January 1
18of each year, a summary of reports and investigations made
19under this Act for the prior fiscal year with respect to
20individuals receiving mental health or developmental
21disabilities services. The report shall detail the imposition
22of sanctions, if any, and the final disposition of any
23corrective or administrative action directed by the Secretary.
24The summaries shall not contain any confidential or identifying
25information of any individual, but shall include objective data
26identifying any trends in the number of reported allegations,

 

 

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1the timeliness of the Office of the Inspector General's
2investigations, and their disposition, for each facility and
3Department-wide, for the most recent 3-year time period. The
4report shall also identify, by facility, the staff-to-patient
5ratios taking account of direct care staff only. The report
6shall also include detailed recommended administrative actions
7and matters for consideration by the General Assembly.
8    (w) Program audit. The Auditor General shall conduct a
9program audit of the Office of the Inspector General on an
10as-needed basis, as determined by the Auditor General. The
11audit shall specifically include the Inspector General's
12compliance with the Act and effectiveness in investigating
13reports of allegations occurring in any facility or agency. The
14Auditor General shall conduct the program audit according to
15the provisions of the Illinois State Auditing Act and shall
16report its findings to the General Assembly no later than
17January 1 following the audit period.
18    (x) Nothing in this Section shall be construed to mean that
19a patient is a victim of abuse or neglect because of health
20care services appropriately provided or not provided by health
21care professionals.
22    (y) Nothing in this Section shall require a facility,
23including its employees, agents, medical staff members, and
24health care professionals, to provide a service to a patient in
25contravention of that patient's stated or implied objection to
26the provision of that service on the ground that that service

 

 

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1conflicts with the patient's religious beliefs or practices,
2nor shall the failure to provide a service to a patient be
3considered abuse under this Section if the patient has objected
4to the provision of that service based on his or her religious
5beliefs or practices.
6(Source: P.A. 98-49, eff. 7-1-13.)
 
7    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
8becoming law.