Full Text of SB4025 102nd General Assembly
SB4025enr 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | AN ACT concerning State government.
| 2 | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
| 3 | | represented in the General Assembly:
| 4 | | Section 5. The Department of Human Services Act is amended | 5 | | by 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 | 9 | | General Assembly to ensure the health, safety, and financial | 10 | | condition of individuals receiving services in this State due | 11 | | to mental illness, developmental disability, or both by | 12 | | protecting those persons from acts of abuse, neglect, or both | 13 | | by service providers. To that end, the Office of the Inspector | 14 | | General for the Department of Human Services is created to | 15 | | investigate and report upon allegations of the abuse, neglect, | 16 | | or financial exploitation of individuals receiving services | 17 | | within mental health facilities, developmental disabilities | 18 | | facilities, and community agencies operated, licensed, funded, | 19 | | or certified by the Department of Human Services, but not | 20 | | licensed or certified by any other State agency. | 21 | | (b) Definitions. The following definitions apply to this | 22 | | Section: | 23 | | "Adult student with a disability" means an adult student, |
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| 1 | | age 18 through 21, inclusive, with an Individual Education | 2 | | Program, other than a resident of a facility licensed by the | 3 | | Department of Children and Family Services in accordance with | 4 | | the Child Care Act of 1969. For purposes of this definition, | 5 | | "through age 21, inclusive", means through the day before the | 6 | | student's 22nd birthday. | 7 | | "Agency" or "community agency" means (i) a community | 8 | | agency licensed, funded, or certified by the Department, but | 9 | | not licensed or certified by any other human services agency | 10 | | of the State, to provide mental health service or | 11 | | developmental disabilities service, or (ii) a program | 12 | | licensed, funded, or certified by the Department, but not | 13 | | licensed or certified by any other human services agency of | 14 | | the State, to provide mental health service or developmental | 15 | | disabilities service. | 16 | | "Aggravating circumstance" means a factor that is | 17 | | attendant to a finding and that tends to compound or increase | 18 | | the culpability of the accused. | 19 | | "Allegation" means an assertion, complaint, suspicion, or | 20 | | incident involving any of the following conduct by an | 21 | | employee, facility, or agency against an individual or | 22 | | individuals: mental abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, | 23 | | neglect, or financial exploitation. | 24 | | "Day" means working day, unless otherwise specified. | 25 | | "Deflection" means a situation in which an individual is | 26 | | presented for admission to a facility or agency, and the |
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| 1 | | facility staff or agency staff do not admit the individual. | 2 | | "Deflection" includes triage, redirection, and denial of | 3 | | admission. | 4 | | "Department" means the Department of Human Services. | 5 | | "Developmental disability" means "developmental | 6 | | disability" as defined in the Mental Health and Developmental | 7 | | Disabilities Code. | 8 | | "Egregious neglect" means a finding of neglect as | 9 | | determined by the Inspector General that (i) represents a | 10 | | gross failure to adequately provide for, or a callused | 11 | | indifference to, the health, safety, or medical needs of an | 12 | | individual and (ii) results in an individual's death or other | 13 | | serious deterioration of an individual's physical condition or | 14 | | mental condition. | 15 | | "Employee" means any person who provides services at the | 16 | | facility or agency on-site or off-site. The service | 17 | | relationship can be with the individual or with the facility | 18 | | or agency. Also, "employee" includes any employee or | 19 | | contractual agent of the Department of Human Services or the | 20 | | community agency involved in providing or monitoring or | 21 | | administering mental health or developmental disability | 22 | | services. This includes but is not limited to: owners, | 23 | | operators, payroll personnel, contractors, subcontractors, and | 24 | | volunteers. | 25 | | "Facility" or "State-operated facility" means a mental | 26 | | health facility or developmental disabilities facility |
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| 1 | | operated by the Department. | 2 | | "Financial exploitation" means taking unjust advantage of | 3 | | an individual's assets, property, or financial resources | 4 | | through deception, intimidation, or conversion for the | 5 | | employee's, facility's, or agency's own advantage or benefit. | 6 | | "Finding" means the Office of Inspector General's | 7 | | determination regarding whether an allegation is | 8 | | substantiated, unsubstantiated, or unfounded. | 9 | | "Health Care Worker Registry" or "Registry" means the | 10 | | Health Care Worker Registry under the Health Care Worker | 11 | | Background Check Act. | 12 | | "Individual" means any person receiving mental health | 13 | | service, developmental disabilities service, or both from a | 14 | | facility or agency, while either on-site or off-site. | 15 | | "Mental abuse" means the use of demeaning, intimidating, | 16 | | or threatening words, signs, gestures, or other actions by an | 17 | | employee about an individual and in the presence of an | 18 | | individual or individuals that results in emotional distress | 19 | | or maladaptive behavior, or could have resulted in emotional | 20 | | distress or maladaptive behavior, for any individual present. | 21 | | "Mental illness" means "mental illness" as defined in the | 22 | | Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code. | 23 | | "Mentally ill" means having a mental illness. | 24 | | "Mitigating circumstance" means a condition that (i) is | 25 | | attendant to a finding, (ii) does not excuse or justify the | 26 | | conduct in question, but (iii) may be considered in evaluating |
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| 1 | | the severity of the conduct, the culpability of the accused, | 2 | | or both the severity of the conduct and the culpability of the | 3 | | accused. | 4 | | "Neglect" means an employee's, agency's, or facility's | 5 | | failure to provide adequate medical care, personal care, or | 6 | | maintenance and that, as a consequence, (i) causes an | 7 | | individual pain, injury, or emotional distress, (ii) results | 8 | | in either an individual's maladaptive behavior or the | 9 | | deterioration of an individual's physical condition or mental | 10 | | condition, or (iii) places the individual's health or safety | 11 | | at substantial risk. | 12 | | "Person with a developmental disability" means a person | 13 | | having a developmental disability. | 14 | | "Physical abuse" means an employee's non-accidental and | 15 | | inappropriate contact with an individual that causes bodily | 16 | | harm. "Physical abuse" includes actions that cause bodily harm | 17 | | as a result of an employee directing an individual or person to | 18 | | physically abuse another individual. | 19 | | "Recommendation" means an admonition, separate from a | 20 | | finding, that requires action by the facility, agency, or | 21 | | Department to correct a systemic issue, problem, or deficiency | 22 | | identified during an investigation. | 23 | | "Required reporter" means any employee who suspects, | 24 | | witnesses, or is informed of an allegation of any one or more | 25 | | of the following: mental abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, | 26 | | neglect, or financial exploitation. |
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| 1 | | "Secretary" means the Chief Administrative Officer of the | 2 | | Department. | 3 | | "Sexual abuse" means any sexual contact or intimate | 4 | | physical contact between an employee and an individual, | 5 | | including an employee's coercion or encouragement of an | 6 | | individual to engage in sexual behavior that results in sexual | 7 | | contact, intimate physical contact, sexual behavior, or | 8 | | intimate physical behavior. Sexual abuse also includes (i) an | 9 | | employee's actions that result in the sending or showing of | 10 | | sexually explicit images to an individual via computer, | 11 | | cellular phone, electronic mail, portable electronic device, | 12 | | or other media with or without contact with the individual or | 13 | | (ii) an employee's posting of sexually explicit images of an | 14 | | individual online or elsewhere whether or not there is contact | 15 | | with the individual. | 16 | | "Sexually explicit images" includes, but is not limited | 17 | | to, any material which depicts nudity, sexual conduct, or | 18 | | sado-masochistic abuse, or which contains explicit and | 19 | | detailed verbal descriptions or narrative accounts of sexual | 20 | | excitement, sexual conduct, or sado-masochistic abuse. | 21 | | "Substantiated" means there is a preponderance of the | 22 | | evidence to support the allegation. | 23 | | "Unfounded" means there is no credible evidence to support | 24 | | the allegation. | 25 | | "Unsubstantiated" means there is credible evidence, but | 26 | | less than a preponderance of evidence to support the |
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| 1 | | allegation. | 2 | | (c) Appointment. The Governor shall appoint, and the | 3 | | Senate shall confirm, an Inspector General. The Inspector | 4 | | General shall be appointed for a term of 4 years and shall | 5 | | function within the Department of Human Services and report to | 6 | | the Secretary and the Governor. | 7 | | (d) Operation and appropriation. The Inspector General | 8 | | shall function independently within the Department with | 9 | | respect to the operations of the Office, including the | 10 | | performance of investigations and issuance of findings and | 11 | | recommendations. The appropriation for the Office of Inspector | 12 | | General shall be separate from the overall appropriation for | 13 | | the Department. | 14 | | (e) Powers and duties. The Inspector General shall | 15 | | investigate reports of suspected mental abuse, physical abuse, | 16 | | sexual abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation of | 17 | | individuals in any mental health or developmental disabilities | 18 | | facility or agency and shall have authority to take immediate | 19 | | action to prevent any one or more of the following from | 20 | | happening to individuals under its jurisdiction: mental abuse, | 21 | | physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, or financial | 22 | | exploitation. Upon written request of an agency of this State, | 23 | | the Inspector General may assist another agency of the State | 24 | | in investigating reports of the abuse, neglect, or abuse and | 25 | | neglect of persons with mental illness, persons with | 26 | | developmental disabilities, or persons with both. To comply |
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| 1 | | with the requirements of subsection (k) of this Section, the | 2 | | Inspector General shall also review all reportable deaths for | 3 | | which there is no allegation of abuse or neglect. Nothing in | 4 | | this Section shall preempt any duties of the Medical Review | 5 | | Board set forth in the Mental Health and Developmental | 6 | | Disabilities Code. The Inspector General shall have no | 7 | | authority to investigate alleged violations of the State | 8 | | Officials and Employees Ethics Act. Allegations of misconduct | 9 | | under the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act shall be | 10 | | referred to the Office of the Governor's Executive Inspector | 11 | | General for investigation. | 12 | | (f) Limitations. The Inspector General shall not conduct | 13 | | an investigation within an agency or facility if that | 14 | | investigation would be redundant to or interfere with an | 15 | | investigation conducted by another State agency. The Inspector | 16 | | General shall have no supervision over, or involvement in, the | 17 | | routine programmatic, licensing, funding, or certification | 18 | | operations of the Department. Nothing in this subsection | 19 | | limits investigations by the Department that may otherwise be | 20 | | required by law or that may be necessary in the Department's | 21 | | capacity as central administrative authority responsible for | 22 | | the operation of the State's mental health and developmental | 23 | | disabilities facilities. | 24 | | (g) Rulemaking authority. The Inspector General shall | 25 | | promulgate rules establishing minimum requirements for | 26 | | reporting allegations as well as for initiating, conducting, |
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| 1 | | and completing investigations based upon the nature of the | 2 | | allegation or allegations. The rules shall clearly establish | 3 | | that if 2 or more State agencies could investigate an | 4 | | allegation, the Inspector General shall not conduct an | 5 | | investigation that would be redundant to, or interfere with, | 6 | | an investigation conducted by another State agency. The rules | 7 | | shall further clarify the method and circumstances under which | 8 | | the Office of Inspector General may interact with the | 9 | | licensing, funding, or certification units of the Department | 10 | | in preventing further occurrences of mental abuse, physical | 11 | | abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, egregious neglect, and financial | 12 | | exploitation. | 13 | | (h) Training programs. The Inspector General shall (i) | 14 | | establish a comprehensive program to ensure that every person | 15 | | authorized to conduct investigations receives ongoing training | 16 | | relative to investigation techniques, communication skills, | 17 | | and the appropriate means of interacting with persons | 18 | | receiving treatment for mental illness, developmental | 19 | | disability, or both mental illness and developmental | 20 | | disability, and (ii) establish and conduct periodic training | 21 | | programs for facility and agency employees concerning the | 22 | | prevention and reporting of any one or more of the following: | 23 | | mental abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, egregious | 24 | | neglect, or financial exploitation. The Inspector General | 25 | | shall further ensure (i) every person authorized to conduct | 26 | | investigations at community agencies receives ongoing training |
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| 1 | | in Title 59, Parts 115, 116, and 119 of the Illinois | 2 | | Administrative Code, and (ii) every person authorized to | 3 | | conduct investigations shall receive ongoing training in Title | 4 | | 59, Part 50 of the Illinois Administrative Code. Nothing in | 5 | | this Section shall be deemed to prevent the Office of | 6 | | Inspector General from conducting any other training as | 7 | | determined by the Inspector General to be necessary or | 8 | | helpful. | 9 | | (i) Duty to cooperate. | 10 | | (1) The Inspector General shall at all times be | 11 | | granted access to any facility or agency for the purpose | 12 | | of investigating any allegation, conducting unannounced | 13 | | site visits, monitoring compliance with a written | 14 | | response, or completing any other statutorily assigned | 15 | | duty. The Inspector General shall conduct unannounced site | 16 | | visits to each facility at least annually for the purpose | 17 | | of reviewing and making recommendations on systemic issues | 18 | | relative to preventing, reporting, investigating, and | 19 | | responding to all of the following: mental abuse, physical | 20 | | abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, egregious neglect, or | 21 | | financial exploitation. | 22 | | (2) Any employee who fails to cooperate with an Office | 23 | | of the Inspector General investigation is in violation of | 24 | | this Act. Failure to cooperate with an investigation | 25 | | includes, but is not limited to, any one or more of the | 26 | | following: (i) creating and transmitting a false report to |
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| 1 | | the Office of the Inspector General hotline, (ii) | 2 | | providing false information to an Office of the Inspector | 3 | | General Investigator during an investigation, (iii) | 4 | | colluding with other employees to cover up evidence, (iv) | 5 | | colluding with other employees to provide false | 6 | | information to an Office of the Inspector General | 7 | | investigator, (v) destroying evidence, (vi) withholding | 8 | | evidence, or (vii) otherwise obstructing an Office of the | 9 | | Inspector General investigation. Additionally, any | 10 | | employee who, during an unannounced site visit or written | 11 | | response compliance check, fails to cooperate with | 12 | | requests from the Office of the Inspector General is in | 13 | | violation of this Act. | 14 | | (j) Subpoena powers. The Inspector General shall have the | 15 | | power to subpoena witnesses and compel the production of all | 16 | | documents and physical evidence relating to his or her | 17 | | investigations and any hearings authorized by this Act. This | 18 | | subpoena power shall not extend to persons or documents of a | 19 | | labor organization or its representatives insofar as the | 20 | | persons are acting in a representative capacity to an employee | 21 | | whose conduct is the subject of an investigation or the | 22 | | documents relate to that representation. Any person who | 23 | | otherwise fails to respond to a subpoena or who knowingly | 24 | | provides false information to the Office of the Inspector | 25 | | General by subpoena during an investigation is guilty of a | 26 | | Class A misdemeanor. |
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| 1 | | (k) Reporting allegations and deaths. | 2 | | (1) Allegations. If an employee witnesses, is told of, | 3 | | or has reason to believe an incident of mental abuse, | 4 | | physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, or financial | 5 | | exploitation has occurred, the employee, agency, or | 6 | | facility shall report the allegation by phone to the | 7 | | Office of the Inspector General hotline according to the | 8 | | agency's or facility's procedures, but in no event later | 9 | | than 4 hours after the initial discovery of the incident, | 10 | | allegation, or suspicion of any one or more of the | 11 | | following: mental abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, | 12 | | neglect, or financial exploitation. A required reporter as | 13 | | defined in subsection (b) of this Section who knowingly or | 14 | | intentionally fails to comply with these reporting | 15 | | requirements is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. | 16 | | (2) Deaths. Absent an allegation, a required reporter | 17 | | shall, within 24 hours after initial discovery, report by | 18 | | phone to the Office of the Inspector General hotline each | 19 | | of the following: | 20 | | (i) Any death of an individual occurring within 14 | 21 | | calendar days after discharge or transfer of the | 22 | | individual from a residential program or facility. | 23 | | (ii) Any death of an individual occurring within | 24 | | 24 hours after deflection from a residential program | 25 | | or facility. | 26 | | (iii) Any other death of an individual occurring |
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| 1 | | at an agency or facility or at any Department-funded | 2 | | site. | 3 | | (3) Retaliation. It is a violation of this Act for any | 4 | | employee or administrator of an agency or facility to take | 5 | | retaliatory action against an employee who acts in good | 6 | | faith in conformance with his or her duties as a required | 7 | | reporter. | 8 | | (l) Reporting to law enforcement. | 9 | | (1) Reporting criminal acts. Within 24 hours after | 10 | | determining that there is credible evidence indicating | 11 | | that a criminal act may have been committed or that | 12 | | special expertise may be required in an investigation, the | 13 | | Inspector General shall notify the Illinois State Police | 14 | | or other appropriate law enforcement authority, or ensure | 15 | | that such notification is made. The Illinois State Police | 16 | | shall investigate any report from a State-operated | 17 | | facility indicating a possible murder, sexual assault, or | 18 | | other felony by an employee. All investigations conducted | 19 | | by the Inspector General shall be conducted in a manner | 20 | | designed to ensure the preservation of evidence for | 21 | | possible use in a criminal prosecution. | 22 | | (2) Reporting allegations of adult students with | 23 | | disabilities. Upon receipt of a reportable allegation | 24 | | regarding an adult student with a disability, the | 25 | | Department's Office of the Inspector General shall | 26 | | determine whether the allegation meets the criteria for |
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| 1 | | the Domestic Abuse Program under the Abuse of Adults with | 2 | | Disabilities Intervention Act. If the allegation is | 3 | | reportable to that program, the Office of the Inspector | 4 | | General shall initiate an investigation. If the allegation | 5 | | is not reportable to the Domestic Abuse Program, the | 6 | | Office of the Inspector General shall make an expeditious | 7 | | referral to the respective law enforcement entity. If the | 8 | | alleged victim is already receiving services from the | 9 | | Department, the Office of the Inspector General shall also | 10 | | make a referral to the respective Department of Human | 11 | | Services' Division or Bureau. | 12 | | (m) Investigative reports. Upon completion of an | 13 | | investigation, the Office of Inspector General shall issue an | 14 | | investigative report identifying whether the allegations are | 15 | | substantiated, unsubstantiated, or unfounded. Within 10 | 16 | | business days after the transmittal of a completed | 17 | | investigative report substantiating an allegation, finding an | 18 | | allegation is unsubstantiated, or if a recommendation is made, | 19 | | the Inspector General shall provide the investigative report | 20 | | on the case to the Secretary and to the director of the | 21 | | facility or agency where any one or more of the following | 22 | | occurred: mental abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, | 23 | | egregious neglect, or financial exploitation. The director of | 24 | | the facility or agency shall be responsible for maintaining | 25 | | the confidentiality of the investigative report consistent | 26 | | with State and federal law. In a substantiated case, the |
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| 1 | | investigative report shall include any mitigating or | 2 | | aggravating circumstances that were identified during the | 3 | | investigation. If the case involves substantiated neglect, the | 4 | | investigative report shall also state whether egregious | 5 | | neglect was found. An investigative report may also set forth | 6 | | recommendations. All investigative reports prepared by the | 7 | | Office of the Inspector General shall be considered | 8 | | confidential and shall not be released except as provided by | 9 | | the law of this State or as required under applicable federal | 10 | | law. Unsubstantiated and unfounded reports shall not be | 11 | | disclosed except as allowed under Section 6 of the Abused and | 12 | | Neglected Long Term Care Facility Residents Reporting Act. Raw | 13 | | data used to compile the investigative report shall not be | 14 | | subject to release unless required by law or a court order. | 15 | | "Raw data used to compile the investigative report" includes, | 16 | | but is not limited to, any one or more of the following: the | 17 | | initial complaint, witness statements, photographs, | 18 | | investigator's notes, police reports, or incident reports. If | 19 | | the allegations are substantiated, the victim, the victim's | 20 | | guardian, and the accused shall be provided with a redacted | 21 | | copy of the investigative report. Death reports where there | 22 | | was no allegation of abuse or neglect shall only be released | 23 | | pursuant to applicable State or federal law or a valid court | 24 | | order. Unredacted investigative reports, as well as raw data, | 25 | | may be shared with a local law enforcement entity, a State's | 26 | | Attorney's office, or a county coroner's office upon written |
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| 1 | | request. | 2 | | (n) Written responses, clarification requests, and | 3 | | reconsideration requests. | 4 | | (1) Written responses. Within 30 calendar days from | 5 | | receipt of a substantiated investigative report or an | 6 | | investigative report which contains recommendations, | 7 | | absent a reconsideration request, the facility or agency | 8 | | shall file a written response that addresses, in a concise | 9 | | and reasoned manner, the actions taken to: (i) protect the | 10 | | individual; (ii) prevent recurrences; and (iii) eliminate | 11 | | the problems identified. The response shall include the | 12 | | implementation and completion dates of such actions. If | 13 | | the written response is not filed within the allotted 30 | 14 | | calendar day period, the Secretary shall determine the | 15 | | appropriate corrective action to be taken. | 16 | | (2) Requests for clarification. The facility, agency, | 17 | | victim or guardian, or the subject employee may request | 18 | | that the Office of Inspector General clarify the finding | 19 | | or findings for which clarification is sought. | 20 | | (3) Requests for reconsideration. The facility, | 21 | | agency, victim or guardian, or the subject employee may | 22 | | request that the Office of the Inspector General | 23 | | reconsider the finding or findings or the recommendations. | 24 | | A request for reconsideration shall be subject to a | 25 | | multi-layer review and shall include at least one reviewer | 26 | | who did not participate in the investigation or approval |
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| 1 | | of the original investigative report. After the | 2 | | multi-layer review process has been completed, the | 3 | | Inspector General shall make the final determination on | 4 | | the reconsideration request. The investigation shall be | 5 | | reopened if the reconsideration determination finds that | 6 | | additional information is needed to complete the | 7 | | investigative record. | 8 | | (o) Disclosure of the finding by the Inspector General. | 9 | | The Inspector General shall disclose the finding of an | 10 | | investigation to the following persons: (i) the Governor, (ii) | 11 | | the Secretary, (iii) the director of the facility or agency, | 12 | | (iv) the alleged victims and their guardians, (v) the | 13 | | complainant, and (vi) the accused. This information shall | 14 | | include whether the allegations were deemed substantiated, | 15 | | unsubstantiated, or unfounded. | 16 | | (p) Secretary review. Upon review of the Inspector | 17 | | General's investigative report and any agency's or facility's | 18 | | written response, the Secretary shall accept or reject the | 19 | | written response and notify the Inspector General of that | 20 | | determination. The Secretary may further direct that other | 21 | | administrative action be taken, including, but not limited to, | 22 | | any one or more of the following: (i) additional site visits, | 23 | | (ii) training, (iii) provision of technical assistance | 24 | | relative to administrative needs, licensure, or certification, | 25 | | or (iv) the imposition of appropriate sanctions. | 26 | | (q) Action by facility or agency. Within 30 days of the |
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| 1 | | date the Secretary approves the written response or directs | 2 | | that further administrative action be taken, the facility or | 3 | | agency shall provide an implementation report to the Inspector | 4 | | General that provides the status of the action taken. The | 5 | | facility or agency shall be allowed an additional 30 days to | 6 | | send notice of completion of the action or to send an updated | 7 | | implementation report. If the action has not been completed | 8 | | within the additional 30-day period, the facility or agency | 9 | | shall send updated implementation reports every 60 days until | 10 | | completion. The Inspector General shall conduct a review of | 11 | | any implementation plan that takes more than 120 days after | 12 | | approval to complete, and shall monitor compliance through a | 13 | | random review of approved written responses, which may | 14 | | include, but are not limited to: (i) site visits, (ii) | 15 | | telephone contact, and (iii) requests for additional | 16 | | documentation evidencing compliance. | 17 | | (r) Sanctions. Sanctions, if imposed by the Secretary | 18 | | under Subdivision (p)(iv) of this Section, shall be designed | 19 | | to prevent further acts of mental abuse, physical abuse, | 20 | | sexual abuse, neglect, egregious neglect, or financial | 21 | | exploitation or some combination of one or more of those acts | 22 | | at a facility or agency, and may include any one or more of the | 23 | | following: | 24 | | (1) Appointment of on-site monitors. | 25 | | (2) Transfer or relocation of an individual or | 26 | | individuals. |
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| 1 | | (3) Closure of units. | 2 | | (4) Termination of any one or more of the following: | 3 | | (i) Department licensing, (ii) funding, or (iii) | 4 | | certification. | 5 | | The Inspector General may seek the assistance of the | 6 | | Illinois Attorney General or the office of any State's | 7 | | Attorney in implementing sanctions. | 8 | | (s) Health Care Worker Registry. | 9 | | (1) Reporting to the Registry. The Inspector General | 10 | | shall report to the Department of Public Health's Health | 11 | | Care Worker Registry, a public registry, the identity and | 12 | | finding of each employee of a facility or agency against | 13 | | whom there is a final investigative report prepared by the | 14 | | Office of the Inspector General containing a substantiated | 15 | | allegation of physical or sexual abuse, financial | 16 | | exploitation, or egregious neglect of an individual , | 17 | | unless the Inspector General requests a stipulated | 18 | | disposition of the investigative report that does not | 19 | | include the reporting of the employee's name to the Health | 20 | | Care Worker Registry and the Secretary of Human Services | 21 | | agrees with the requested stipulated disposition . | 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 | 3 | | the grounds on which the report to the Registry is based, | 4 | | offer the employee an opportunity for a hearing, and | 5 | | identify the process for requesting such a hearing. Notice | 6 | | is sufficient if provided by certified mail to the | 7 | | employee's last known address. If the employee fails to | 8 | | request a hearing within 30 days from the date of the | 9 | | notice, the Inspector General shall report the name of the | 10 | | employee to the Registry. Nothing in this subdivision | 11 | | (s)(2) shall diminish or impair the rights of a person who | 12 | | is a member of a collective bargaining unit under the | 13 | | Illinois Public Labor Relations Act or under any other | 14 | | federal labor statute. | 15 | | (3) Registry hearings. If the employee requests an | 16 | | administrative hearing, the employee shall be granted an | 17 | | opportunity to appear before an administrative law judge | 18 | | to present reasons why the employee's name should not be | 19 | | reported to the Registry. The Department shall bear the | 20 | | burden of presenting evidence that establishes, by a | 21 | | preponderance of the evidence, that the substantiated | 22 | | finding warrants reporting to the Registry. After | 23 | | considering all the evidence presented, the administrative | 24 | | law judge shall make a recommendation to the Secretary as | 25 | | to whether the substantiated finding warrants reporting | 26 | | the name of the employee to the Registry. The Secretary |
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| 1 | | shall render the final decision. The Department and the | 2 | | employee shall have the right to request that the | 3 | | administrative law judge consider a stipulated disposition | 4 | | of these proceedings. | 5 | | (4) Testimony at Registry hearings. A person who makes | 6 | | a report or who investigates a report under this Act shall | 7 | | testify fully in any judicial proceeding resulting from | 8 | | such a report, as to any evidence of abuse or neglect, or | 9 | | the cause thereof. No evidence shall be excluded by reason | 10 | | of any common law or statutory privilege relating to | 11 | | communications between the alleged perpetrator of abuse or | 12 | | neglect, or the individual alleged as the victim in the | 13 | | report, and the person making or investigating the report. | 14 | | Testimony at hearings is exempt from the confidentiality | 15 | | requirements of subsection (f) of Section 10 of the Mental | 16 | | Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act. | 17 | | (5) Employee's rights to collateral action. No | 18 | | reporting to the Registry shall occur and no hearing shall | 19 | | be set or proceed if an employee notifies the Inspector | 20 | | General in writing, including any supporting | 21 | | documentation, that he or she is formally contesting an | 22 | | adverse employment action resulting from a substantiated | 23 | | finding by complaint filed with the Illinois Civil Service | 24 | | Commission, or which otherwise seeks to enforce the | 25 | | employee's rights pursuant to any applicable collective | 26 | | bargaining agreement. If an action taken by an employer |
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| 1 | | against an employee as a result of a finding of physical | 2 | | abuse, sexual abuse, or egregious neglect is overturned | 3 | | through an action filed with the Illinois Civil Service | 4 | | Commission or under any applicable collective bargaining | 5 | | agreement and if that employee's name has already been | 6 | | sent to the Registry, the employee's name shall be removed | 7 | | from the Registry. | 8 | | (6) Removal from Registry. At any time after the | 9 | | report to the Registry, but no more than once in any | 10 | | 12-month period, an employee may petition the Department | 11 | | in writing to remove his or her name from the Registry. | 12 | | Upon receiving notice of such request, the Inspector | 13 | | General shall conduct an investigation into the petition. | 14 | | Upon receipt of such request, an administrative hearing | 15 | | will be set by the Department. At the hearing, the | 16 | | employee shall bear the burden of presenting evidence that | 17 | | establishes, by a preponderance of the evidence, that | 18 | | removal of the name from the Registry is in the public | 19 | | interest. The parties may jointly request that the | 20 | | administrative law judge consider a stipulated disposition | 21 | | of these proceedings. | 22 | | (t) Review of Administrative Decisions. The Department | 23 | | shall preserve a record of all proceedings at any formal | 24 | | hearing conducted by the Department involving Health Care | 25 | | Worker Registry hearings. Final administrative decisions of | 26 | | the Department are subject to judicial review pursuant to |
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| 1 | | provisions of the Administrative Review Law. | 2 | | (u) Quality Care Board. There is created, within the | 3 | | Office of the Inspector General, a Quality Care Board to be | 4 | | composed of 7 members appointed by the Governor with the | 5 | | advice and consent of the Senate. One of the members shall be | 6 | | designated as chairman by the Governor. Of the initial | 7 | | appointments made by the Governor, 4 Board members shall each | 8 | | be appointed for a term of 4 years and 3 members shall each be | 9 | | appointed for a term of 2 years. Upon the expiration of each | 10 | | member's term, a successor shall be appointed for a term of 4 | 11 | | years. In the case of a vacancy in the office of any member, | 12 | | the Governor shall appoint a successor for the remainder of | 13 | | the unexpired term. | 14 | | Members appointed by the Governor shall be qualified by | 15 | | professional knowledge or experience in the area of law, | 16 | | investigatory techniques, or in the area of care of the | 17 | | mentally ill or care of persons with developmental | 18 | | disabilities. Two members appointed by the Governor shall be | 19 | | persons with a disability or parents of persons with a | 20 | | disability. Members shall serve without compensation, but | 21 | | shall be reimbursed for expenses incurred in connection with | 22 | | the performance of their duties as members. | 23 | | The Board shall meet quarterly, and may hold other | 24 | | meetings on the call of the chairman. Four members shall | 25 | | constitute a quorum allowing the Board to conduct its | 26 | | business. The Board may adopt rules and regulations it deems |
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| 1 | | necessary to govern its own procedures. | 2 | | The Board shall monitor and oversee the operations, | 3 | | policies, and procedures of the Inspector General to ensure | 4 | | the prompt and thorough investigation of allegations of | 5 | | neglect and abuse. In fulfilling these responsibilities, the | 6 | | Board may do the following: | 7 | | (1) Provide independent, expert consultation to the | 8 | | Inspector General on policies and protocols for | 9 | | investigations of alleged abuse, neglect, or both abuse | 10 | | and neglect. | 11 | | (2) Review existing regulations relating to the | 12 | | operation of facilities. | 13 | | (3) Advise the Inspector General as to the content of | 14 | | training activities authorized under this Section. | 15 | | (4) Recommend policies concerning methods for | 16 | | improving the intergovernmental relationships between the | 17 | | Office of the Inspector General and other State or federal | 18 | | offices. | 19 | | (v) Annual report. The Inspector General shall provide to | 20 | | the General Assembly and the Governor, no later than January 1 | 21 | | of each year, a summary of reports and investigations made | 22 | | under this Act for the prior fiscal year with respect to | 23 | | individuals receiving mental health or developmental | 24 | | disabilities services. The report shall detail the imposition | 25 | | of sanctions, if any, and the final disposition of any | 26 | | corrective or administrative action directed by the Secretary. |
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| 1 | | The summaries shall not contain any confidential or | 2 | | identifying information of any individual, but shall include | 3 | | objective data identifying any trends in the number of | 4 | | reported allegations, the timeliness of the Office of the | 5 | | Inspector General's investigations, and their disposition, for | 6 | | each facility and Department-wide, for the most recent 3-year | 7 | | time period. The report shall also identify, by facility, the | 8 | | staff-to-patient ratios taking account of direct care staff | 9 | | only. The report shall also include detailed recommended | 10 | | administrative actions and matters for consideration by the | 11 | | General Assembly. | 12 | | (w) Program audit. The Auditor General shall conduct a | 13 | | program audit of the Office of the Inspector General on an | 14 | | as-needed basis, as determined by the Auditor General. The | 15 | | audit shall specifically include the Inspector General's | 16 | | compliance with the Act and effectiveness in investigating | 17 | | reports of allegations occurring in any facility or agency. | 18 | | The Auditor General shall conduct the program audit according | 19 | | to the provisions of the Illinois State Auditing Act and shall | 20 | | report its findings to the General Assembly no later than | 21 | | January 1 following the audit period.
| 22 | | (x) Nothing in this Section shall be construed to mean | 23 | | that an individual is a victim of abuse or neglect because of | 24 | | health care services appropriately provided or not provided by | 25 | | health care professionals. | 26 | | (y) Nothing in this Section shall require a facility, |
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| 1 | | including its employees, agents, medical staff members, and | 2 | | health care professionals, to provide a service to an | 3 | | individual in contravention of that individual's stated or | 4 | | implied objection to the provision of that service on the | 5 | | ground that that service conflicts with the individual's | 6 | | religious beliefs or practices, nor shall the failure to | 7 | | provide a service to an individual be considered abuse under | 8 | | this Section if the individual has objected to the provision | 9 | | of that service based on his or her religious beliefs or | 10 | | practices.
| 11 | | (Source: P.A. 101-81, eff. 7-12-19; 102-538, eff. 8-20-21.)
| 12 | | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | 13 | | becoming law.
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