SB1245eng 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB1245 Engrossed LRB098 00197 KTG 30200 b

AN ACT concerning employment.

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

Section 5. The Public Safety Employee Benefits Act is amended by changing Section 10 as follows:

(820 ILCS 320/10)

Sec. 10. Required health coverage benefits.

(a) An employer who employs a full-time law enforcement, correctional or correctional probation officer, or firefighter (hereinafter referred to as "PSEBA recipient"), who, on or after the effective date of this Act suffers a catastrophic injury or is killed in the line of duty shall pay the entire premium of the employer's health insurance plan for the PSEBA recipient injured employee, the PSEBA recipient's injured employee's spouse, and for each dependent child of the PSEBA recipient injured employee until the child reaches the age of majority or until the end of the calendar year in which the child reaches the age of 25 if the child continues to be dependent for support or the child is a full-time or part-time student and is dependent for support. The term "health insurance plan" does not include supplemental benefits that are not part of the basic group health insurance plan. If the PSEBA recipient injured employee subsequently dies, the employer shall continue to pay the entire health insurance premium for the surviving spouse until remarried and for the dependent children under the conditions established in this Section. However:

(1) Health insurance benefits payable from any other source shall reduce benefits payable under this Section.

(2) It is unlawful for a person to willfully and knowingly make, or cause to be made, or to assist, conspire with, or urge another to make, or cause to be made, any false, fraudulent, or misleading oral or written statement to obtain health insurance coverage as provided under this Section. A violation of this item is a Class A misdemeanor.

(3) Upon conviction for a violation described in item (2), a law enforcement, correctional or correctional probation officer, or other beneficiary who receives or seeks to receive health insurance benefits under this Section shall forfeit the right to receive health insurance benefits and shall reimburse the employer for all benefits paid due to the fraud or other prohibited activity. For purposes of this item, "conviction" means a determination of guilt that is the result of a plea or trial, regardless of whether adjudication is withheld.

(b) In order for the law enforcement, correctional or correctional probation officer, firefighter, spouse, or dependent children to be eligible for insurance coverage under this Act, the injury or death must have occurred as the result of the officer's response to fresh pursuit, the officer or firefighter's response to what is reasonably believed to be an emergency, an unlawful act perpetrated by another, or during the investigation of a criminal act. Nothing in this Section shall be construed to limit health insurance coverage or pension benefits for which the officer, firefighter, spouse, or dependent children may otherwise be eligible.

(c) A PSEBA recipient subject to this Act shall be required to file a report with his or her employer as prescribed in this Section. The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA) shall design the form and prescribe the content of the report in cooperation with one statewide labor organization representing police, one statewide labor organization representing firefighters employed by at least 100 municipalities in this State, that is affiliated with the Illinois State Federation of Labor, one statewide organization representing municipalities, and one regional organization representing municipalities. COGFA may accept comment from any source, but shall not be required to solicit public comment. Within 60 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 98th General Assembly, COGFA shall design and remit a copy of this form to all employers subject to this Act. The form shall include the following:

(1) employment by the PSEBA recipient within the previous 24-month period or since the time the PSEBA recipient began receiving benefits under this Act if less than 24 months;

(2) compensation earned by the PSEBA recipient as a result of the employment;

(3) the nature of the injury that entitled the PSEBA recipient to a duty disability benefit and benefits as provided under this Act listing the part of the body affected, explaining how it was affected, and including the medical diagnosis, if known;

(4) whether the PSEBA recipient or his or her spouse has been offered or has access to any insurance from the PSEBA recipient's employment or his or her spouse's employment;

(5) whether the PSEBA recipient or his or her spouse is currently enrolled in any insurance plan from another source;

(6) a description of benefits offered by the PSEBA recipient's employer or the employer of his or her spouse, including policy limits, co-pay requirements, and deductibles; and

(7) the cost of the insurance offered by the PSEBA recipient's employer or the employer of his or her spouse.

Within 30 days after receipt of this form, an employer shall notify any PSEBA recipient receiving benefits under this Act of that recipient's obligation to file a report under this Section. A PSEBA recipient receiving benefits under this Act must complete and return this form to the employer within 60 days of receipt of such form. Any PSEBA recipient who has been given notice as provided under this Section and who fails to timely file a report under this Section within 60 days after receipt of this form shall be notified by the employer that he or she has 30 days to submit the report or risk incurring the cost of his or her benefits provided under this Act. An employer may seek reimbursement for premium payments for a PSEBA recipient who fails to file this report with the employer 30 days after receiving this notice. The PSEBA recipient is responsible for reimbursing the employer for premiums paid during the period the report is due and not filed. Employers shall return this form to COGFA within 30 days after receiving the form from the PSEBA recipient.

Any information collected by the employer under this Section shall be exempt from the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act except for data collected in the aggregate that does not reveal any personal information concerning the PSEBA recipient.

By July 1 of every odd-numbered year, beginning in 2015, employers subject to this Act must send a form to all PSEBA recipients eligible for benefits under this Act. The PSEBA recipient must complete and return this form by September 1 of that year. Any PSEBA recipient who has been given notice as provided under this Section and who fails to timely file a completed form under this Section within 60 days after receipt of this form shall be notified by the employer that he or she has 30 days to submit the form or risk incurring the costs of his or her benefits provided under this Act. The PSEBA recipient is responsible for reimbursing the employer for premiums paid during the period the report is due and not filed. The employer shall resume premium payments upon receipt of the completed form. Employers shall return this form to COGFA within 30 days after receiving the form from the PSEBA recipient.

(d) An employer subject to this Act shall file a claims report with COGFA. COGFA shall design the form and prescribe the content of the report in cooperation with one statewide labor organization representing police, one statewide labor organization representing firefighters employed by at least 100 municipalities in this State, that is affiliated with the Illinois State Federation of Labor, one statewide organization representing municipalities, and one regional organization representing municipalities. Within 60 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 98th General Assembly, and by July 1 of every odd-numbered year thereafter beginning in 2015, COGFA shall remit a copy of this form to all employers subject to this Act. An employer covered under this Act shall file a copy of this report with COGFA within 120 days after receipt of the form.

The first claims report filed with COGFA under this Section shall set forth all information gathered pursuant to this Section and, when available, shall submit the information required under this Section for each of the 5 years prior to the year in which this amendatory Act of the 98th General Assembly became law. All claims reports thereafter shall set forth the required information for the 24-month period ending on June 30 preceding the deadline date for filing the report. The claims report shall, at a minimum, contain the following information:

(1) the number of claims filed under this Act during the reporting period;

(2) the number of claims awarded under this Act during the reporting period;

(3) the dollar amount of all claims awarded under this Act during the reporting period;

(4) the number of claims paid under this Act during the reporting period regardless of when the claim was awarded;

(5) the dollar amount of all claims paid under this Act during the reporting period regardless of when the claim was awarded;

(6) the annual cost of the benefit;

(7) the nature of the injury as described by the PSEBA recipient under item (3) of subsection (c);

(8) any employment during the annual reporting period;

(9) the compensation earned as a result of that employment;

(10) any offered or accessible insurance options through the PSEBA recipient's employment or his or her spouse's employment;

(11) a description of benefits offered by the PSEBA recipient's employer or the employer of his or her spouse, including policy limits, co-pay requirements, and deductibles; and

(12) the cost of the insurance offered by the PSEBA recipient's employer or the employer of his or her spouse.

The claims report shall redact any information as required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Any information submitted to COGFA shall not reveal any personal information of the PSEBA recipient. Whenever possible, communication between COGFA and employers as required by this Act shall be through electronic means.

(e) By June 1, 2014, and by January 1 of every even-numbered year thereafter beginning in 2016, COGFA shall submit a report to the Governor and General Assembly setting forth the information received under subsections (c) and (d). The report shall aggregate data in such a way as to not reveal the identity of any singular beneficiary. The requirement for reporting to the General Assembly shall be satisfied by filing copies of the report with the Speaker, Minority Leader, and Clerk of the House of Representatives, the President, Minority Leader, and Secretary of the Senate, the Legislative Research Unit as required under Section 3.1 of the General Assembly Organization Act, and the State Government Report Distribution Center for the General Assembly as required under paragraph (t) of Section 7 of the State Library Act. COGFA shall make this report available electronically on a publicly accessible website.

(Source: P.A. 90-535, eff. 11-14-97.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.