State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
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91_HB1940eng

 
HB1940 Engrossed                               LRB9101476SMpc

 1        AN ACT regarding respite care.

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

 4        Section 1.  Short title.  This Act may be  cited  as  the
 5    Lifespan Respite Care Program Act.

 6        Section  5.  Legislative  findings.  The General Assembly
 7    finds that:
 8        (a)  Supporting the efforts of families and caregivers to
 9    care for individuals with special needs at home is efficient,
10    cost effective, and humane.   Families  receiving  occasional
11    respite  care  relief are less likely to request admission of
12    an individual with special needs  to  nursing  homes,  foster
13    care, or other out-of-home care at public expense.
14        (b)  Respite  care  reduces  family and caregiver stress,
15    enhances family and caregiver coping ability, and strengthens
16    family ability to meet the challenging demands of caring  for
17    individuals with special needs.
18        (c)  Respite  care  reduces the risk of abuse and neglect
19    of children, senior citizens, and other vulnerable groups.
20        (d)  Coordinated, noncategorical  respite  care  services
21    must  be  available  locally  to  provide reliable short-term
22    relief  when  it  is  needed  by  families   and   caregivers
23    regardless of where they live in Illinois.

24        Section 10.  Definitions.  As used in this Act:
25        "Caregiver"  means  an  individual providing ongoing care
26    for an individual with special needs.
27        "Community  lifespan  respite  care  program"   means   a
28    noncategorical respite care program that:
29             (1)  Is    operated   by   community-based   private
30        nonprofit, for-profit, or public  agencies  that  provide
 
HB1940 Engrossed            -2-                LRB9101476SMpc
 1        respite care services;
 2             (2)  Receives  funding  through the Lifespan Respite
 3        Care Program established under Section 15;
 4             (3)  Serves an area of one or more counties;
 5             (4)  Acts as a single local  source  of  information
 6        and referral; and
 7             (5)  Facilitates   access   to  local  respite  care
 8        services.
 9        "Department" means the Department on Aging.
10        "Director" means the Director of Aging.
11        "Noncategorical care" means care without  regard  to  the
12    status,  including but not limited to age and type of special
13    need, of the individual receiving care.
14        "Provider" means an individual or agency  selected  by  a
15    family  or caregiver to provide respite care to an individual
16    with special needs.
17        "Respite care" means the provision of  short-term  relief
18    to primary caregivers from the demands of ongoing care for an
19    individual with special needs.
20        "Respite care services" includes:
21             (1)  Recruiting  and  screening  of  paid and unpaid
22        respite care providers;
23             (2)  Identifying  local   training   resources   and
24        organizing   training   opportunities  for  respite  care
25        providers;
26             (3)  Matching  of  families  and   caregivers   with
27        providers and other types of respite care;
28             (4)  Linking  families  and  caregivers with payment
29        resources;
30             (5)  Identifying,   coordinating   and    developing
31        community resources for respite care;
32             (6)  Quality assurance and evaluation; and
33             (7)  Assisting  families  and caregivers to identify
34        respite care needs and resources.
 
HB1940 Engrossed            -3-                LRB9101476SMpc
 1        "Special needs" includes:
 2             (1)  Alzheimer's disease and related disorders;
 3             (2)  Developmental disabilities;
 4             (3)  Physical disabilities;
 5             (4)  Chronic illness;
 6             (5)  Mental and emotional  conditions  that  require
 7        supervision;
 8             (6)  Situations  in  which  a  high risk of abuse or
 9        neglect exists; and
10             (7)  Such other  situations  or  conditions  as  the
11        Department may establish by rule.

12        Section  15.   Lifespan Respite Care Program established;
13    duties. The Director shall  establish  the  Lifespan  Respite
14    Care  Program to develop and encourage statewide coordination
15    of respite care and  to  work  with  community-based  private
16    nonprofit,  for-profit,  or  public  agencies  and interested
17    citizen groups in the  establishment  of  community  lifespan
18    respite  care  programs.   The  Lifespan Respite Care Program
19    shall:
20        (a)  Provide  policy  and  program  development  support,
21    including but not limited  to  data  collection  and  outcome
22    measures;
23        (b)  Identify  and  promote resolution of local and State
24    level policy concerns;
25        (c)  Provide technical assistance to  community  lifespan
26    respite care programs;
27        (d)  Develop and distribute respite care information;
28        (e)  Promote the exchange of information and coordination
29    among  State and local government, community lifespan respite
30    care programs,  agencies  serving  individuals  with  special
31    needs,  families,  and  respite  care  advocates to encourage
32    efficient provision of respite care and reduce duplication of
33    effort;
 
HB1940 Engrossed            -4-                LRB9101476SMpc
 1        (f)  Ensure  statewide  access  to   community   lifespan
 2    respite care programs; and
 3        (g)  Monitor  and  evaluate  implementation  of community
 4    lifespan respite care programs.

 5        Section 20.  Community programs; criteria;  administrator
 6    of program; advisory council.
 7        (a)  The  Department  through  the  Lifespan Respite Care
 8    Program  shall  coordinate  the  establishment  of  community
 9    lifespan respite care programs.   The  program  shall  accept
10    proposals   to   operate   community  lifespan  respite  care
11    programs, submitted in the form and manner  required  by  the
12    program,  from community-based private nonprofit, for-profit,
13    or  public  agencies  that  provide  respite  care  services.
14    According to criteria  established  by  the  Department,  the
15    Lifespan  Respite  Care  Program  shall  designate  and  fund
16    agencies  described  in  this  Act  to  operate the community
17    respite care programs.
18        (b)  The  Director   shall   create   the   position   of
19    administrator  of  the Lifespan Respite Care Program to carry
20    out the duties of the program.
21        (c)  The Director shall appoint a committee to act as  an
22    advisory  council  to the Lifespan Respite Care Program.  The
23    committee  shall  be  composed  of  respite  care  providers,
24    respite care program managers, respite care consumers, family
25    members, and other interested individuals.
26        (d)  By no later than July 1, 2000, the Department  shall
27    establish  at  least  12  community  respite care programs in
28    Illinois.  By no later than  July  1,  2004,  the  Department
29    shall  ensure  that individuals in all Illinois counties have
30    access  to  respite  care  through  community  respite   care
31    programs.

32        Section   25.    Community   program   duties;   advisory
 
HB1940 Engrossed            -5-                LRB9101476SMpc
 1    committee.   Each  community  lifespan  respite  care program
 2    established pursuant to Section 15 shall:
 3        (a)  Involve key local individuals and  agencies  in  the
 4    community lifespan respite care program planning process.
 5        (b)  Create  an advisory committee composed of 15 members
 6    to advise the community lifespan respite care program on  how
 7    the  program  may  best  serve  the  needs  of  families  and
 8    caregivers  of  individuals  with  special needs.  At least 8
 9    members of the advisory committee shall be family members and
10    caregivers of individuals with special needs.  Other  members
11    shall  include  respite  care  providers,  representatives of
12    local service agencies, and other community  representatives.
13    Committee   membership   shall   represent  senior  citizens,
14    individuals with special needs, and families at risk of abuse
15    or neglect.

16        Section  30.   Description  of  respite  care   services.
17    Respite  care  services  made  available through the Lifespan
18    Respite Care Program shall:
19        (a)  Include a flexible array  of  respite  care  options
20    responsive to family and caregiver needs and available before
21    families and caregivers are in a crisis situation;
22        (b)  Be  sensitive  to  the  unique needs, strengths, and
23    multicultural values of an individual, family, or caregiver;
24        (c)  Offer the most  efficient  access  to  an  array  of
25    coordinated  respite care services that are built on existing
26    community supports and services;
27        (d)  Be  driven  by  community  strengths,   needs,   and
28    resources; and
29        (e)  Use  a variety of funds and resources, including but
30    not limited to:
31             (1)  Family or caregiver funds;
32             (2)  Private and volunteer resources;
33             (3)  Public funds; and
 
HB1940 Engrossed            -6-                LRB9101476SMpc
 1             (4)  Exchange of care among families or caregivers.

 2        Section 35.  Rulemaking.  The Department shall adopt  all
 3    rules  necessary  for the operation and administration of the
 4    Lifespan Respite Care Program, including but not limited to:
 5        (a)  Establishing criteria, procedures,  and  time  lines
 6    for  designation  of  the  community-based private nonprofit,
 7    for-profit, or public agencies that will receive  funding  to
 8    provide  respite  services  under  community lifespan respite
 9    care programs; and
10        (b)  Requiring  that  community  lifespan  respite   care
11    programs  publicize  the  telephone  number and address where
12    families and caregivers may contact the program.

13        Section 40.  Use of funds appropriated to  program.   The
14    Lifespan  Respite Care Program may use the funds appropriated
15    to the program for the following purposes:
16        (a)  The purposes established in Sections 15 and 20;
17        (b)  Costs related to developing provider recruitment and
18    training,  information  and  referral,  outreach,  and  other
19    components of the provision of local respite care;
20        (c)  One  time  only  start-up  costs  related   to   the
21    establishment of the community lifespan respite care program;
22    and
23        (d)  Minimum administrative costs for maintaining ongoing
24    program operation.

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