State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
Legislation

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91_HB4636

 
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 1        AN  ACT  to  amend  the  Elder  Abuse  and  Neglect   Act
 2    concerning  extending  protection  of  elders  against abuse,
 3    neglect, and financial exploitation.

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

 6        Section 5.  The Elder Abuse and Neglect Act is amended by
 7    changing Sections 2, 3.5, 4, and 7 as follows:

 8        (320 ILCS 20/2) (from Ch. 23, par. 6602)
 9        Sec.  2.   Definitions.   As used in this Act, unless the
10    context requires otherwise:
11        (a)  "Abuse" means causing any physical, mental or sexual
12    injury to an eligible adult, including exploitation  of  such
13    adult's financial resources.
14        Nothing  in  this  Act shall be construed to mean that an
15    eligible adult is a victim of abuse or neglect for  the  sole
16    reason  that he or she is being furnished with or relies upon
17    treatment  by  spiritual  means  through  prayer  alone,   in
18    accordance  with  the  tenets  and  practices of a recognized
19    church or religious denomination.
20        Nothing in this Act shall be construed to  mean  that  an
21    eligible  adult  is  a victim of abuse because of health care
22    services provided or not provided  by  licensed  health  care
23    professionals.
24        (a-5)  "Abuser"  means  a person who abuses, neglects, or
25    financially exploits an eligible adult.
26        (a-7)  "Caregiver" means a person who either as a  result
27    of  a  family  relationship,  voluntarily, or in exchange for
28    compensation has assumed responsibility for all or a  portion
29    of  the  care  of an eligible adult who needs assistance with
30    activities of daily living.
31        (b)  "Department" means the Department on  Aging  of  the
 
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 1    State of Illinois.
 2        (c)  "Director" means the Director of the Department.
 3        (d)  "Domestic  living situation" means a residence where
 4    the eligible adult lives alone or with his or her family or a
 5    caregiver, or others, or a  board  and  care  home  or  other
 6    community-based unlicensed facility, but is not:
 7             (1)  A licensed facility as defined in Section 1-113
 8        of the Nursing Home Care Act;
 9             (2)  A  "life  care facility" as defined in the Life
10        Care Facilities Act;
11             (3)  A home, institution, or other place operated by
12        the federal government or agency thereof or by the  State
13        of Illinois;
14             (4)  A  hospital,  sanitarium, or other institution,
15        the principal  activity  or  business  of  which  is  the
16        diagnosis,  care,  and treatment of human illness through
17        the maintenance and  operation  of  organized  facilities
18        therefor,  which  is  required  to  be licensed under the
19        Hospital Licensing Act;
20             (5)  A "community living facility" as defined in the
21        Community Living Facilities Licensing Act;
22             (6)  A  "community   residential   alternative"   as
23        defined   in   the   Community  Residential  Alternatives
24        Licensing Act; and
25             (7)  A "community-integrated living arrangement"  as
26        defined  in  the Community-Integrated Living Arrangements
27        Licensure and Certification Act.
28          (e)  "Eligible adult" means a person 60 years of age or
29    older who resides in a domestic living situation and  is,  or
30    is alleged to be, abused, neglected, or financially exploited
31    by another individual.
32        (f)  "Emergency"  means  a situation in which an eligible
33    adult is living in conditions presenting a risk of  death  or
34    physical, mental or sexual injury and the provider agency has
 
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 1    reason  to believe the eligible adult is unable to consent to
 2    services which would alleviate that risk.
 3        (f-5)  "Mandated reporter" means  any  of  the  following
 4    persons  while  engaged  in  carrying  out their professional
 5    duties:
 6             (1)  a professional or professional's delegate while
 7        engaged in: (i) social services,  (ii)  law  enforcement,
 8        (iii)  education,  (iv)  the care of an eligible adult or
 9        eligible adults, or (v) any of the  occupations  required
10        to  be licensed under the Clinical Psychologist Licensing
11        Act, the Clinical Social Work and  Social  Work  Practice
12        Act,  the  Illinois Dental Practice Act, the Dietetic and
13        Nutrition Services Practice Act, the Marriage and  Family
14        Therapy  Licensing Act, the Medical Practice Act of 1987,
15        the Naprapathic Practice Act, the  Nursing  and  Advanced
16        Practice  Nursing  Act,  the  Nursing Home Administrators
17        Licensing   and      Disciplinary   Act,   the   Illinois
18        Occupational   Therapy   Practice   Act,   the   Illinois
19        Optometric Practice Act of 1987,  the  Pharmacy  Practice
20        Act  of  1987,  the  Illinois  Physical  Therapy Act, the
21        Physician Assistant Practice Act of 1987,  the  Podiatric
22        Medical  Practice  Act  of  1987,  the  Respiratory  Care
23        Practice  Act,  the  Professional  Counselor and Clinical
24        Professional  Counselor  Licensing  Act,   the   Illinois
25        Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Practice Act, the
26        Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Practice Act of 1994, and
27        the Illinois Public Accounting Act;
28             (2)  an  employee  of  a  vocational  rehabilitation
29        facility  prescribed  or  supervised by the Department of
30        Human Services;
31             (3)  an administrator, employee, or person providing
32        services in or  through  an  unlicensed  community  based
33        facility;
34             (4)  a Christian Science Practitioner;
 
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 1             (5)  field  personnel  of  the  Department of Public
 2        Aid, Department of Public Health, and Department of Human
 3        Services, and any county or municipal health department;
 4             (6)  personnel of the Department of Human  Services,
 5        the  Guardianship and Advocacy Commission, the State Fire
 6        Marshal, local fire departments, the Department on  Aging
 7        and  its  subsidiary  Area Agencies on Aging and provider
 8        agencies,  and  the  Office  of  State  Long  Term   Care
 9        Ombudsman;
10             (7)  any  employee  of  the  State  of  Illinois not
11        otherwise specified herein who is involved  in  providing
12        services  to  eligible  adults,  including  professionals
13        providing  medical  or  rehabilitation  services  and all
14        other persons having direct contact with eligible adults;
15        or
16             (8)  a person who performs the duties of  a  coroner
17        or medical examiner;.
18             (9)  a  banker  or  any  employee  of  a  banking or
19        financial institution; or
20             (10)  a  lawyer  or  any  employee  or  professional
21        engaged in providing legal assistance or advice.
22          (g)  "Neglect" means another  individual's  failure  to
23    provide an eligible adult with or willful withholding from an
24    eligible  adult  the  necessities  of life including, but not
25    limited to, food, clothing, shelter  or  medical  care.  This
26    subsection  does  not  create  any  new  affirmative  duty to
27    provide support to eligible  adults.   Nothing  in  this  Act
28    shall be construed to mean that an eligible adult is a victim
29    of  neglect  because  of health care services provided or not
30    provided by licensed health care professionals.
31        (h)  "Provider agency"  means  any  public  or  nonprofit
32    agency  in  a  planning  and  service  area  appointed by the
33    regional administrative agency with  prior  approval  by  the
34    Department  on Aging to receive and assess reports of alleged
 
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 1    or suspected abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation.
 2        (i)  "Regional administrative agency" means any public or
 3    nonprofit agency in a planning and service area so designated
 4    by the Department, provided that the designated  Area  Agency
 5    on  Aging  shall  be  designated  the regional administrative
 6    agency if it so requests. The  Department  shall  assume  the
 7    functions  of  the  regional  administrative  agency  for any
 8    planning and service area where  another  agency  is  not  so
 9    designated.
10        (j)  "Substantiated   case"  means  a  reported  case  of
11    alleged   or   suspected   abuse,   neglect,   or   financial
12    exploitation in which a provider  agency,  after  assessment,
13    determines that there is reason to believe abuse, neglect, or
14    financial exploitation has occurred.
15    (Source:  P.A.  90-628,  eff.  1-1-99;  91-259,  eff. 1-1-00;
16    91-357, eff. 7-29-99; 91-533, eff. 8-13-99; revised 8-30-99.)

17        (320 ILCS 20/3.5)
18        Sec. 3.5.  Other Responsibilities.  The Department  shall
19    also  be responsible for the following activities, contingent
20    upon adequate funding:
21        (a)  promotion of a  wide  range  of  endeavors  for  the
22    purpose  of  preventing  elder  abuse, neglect, and financial
23    exploitation in both  domestic  and  institutional  settings,
24    including,  but  not  limited  to,  promotion  of  public and
25    professional education to increase awareness of elder  abuse,
26    neglect, and financial exploitation, to increase reports, and
27    to  improve response by various legal, financial, social, and
28    health systems;
29        (b)  coordination  of  efforts   with   other   agencies,
30    councils,  and  like  entities, to include but not be limited
31    to, the Office of the Attorney General, the State Police, the
32    Law Enforcement  Training  and  Standards  Board,  the  State
33    Triad,   the  Criminal  Justice  Information  Authority,  the
 
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 1    Departments of Public Health, Public Aid, and Human Services,
 2    the  Family  Violence  Coordinating  Council,  the   Violence
 3    Prevention  Authority,  and  other  entities which may impact
 4    awareness of, and response  to,  elder  abuse,  neglect,  and
 5    financial exploitation;
 6        (c)  collection and analysis of data;
 7        (d)  monitoring    of   the   performance   of   regional
 8    administrative agencies and elder  abuse  provider  agencies;
 9    and
10        (e)  promotion of prevention activities;.
11        (f)  establishment  and  coordination  of  an  aggressive
12    training program about the unique nature of elder abuse cases
13    with  other  agencies, councils, and like entities, including
14    but not limited to the Office of the  Attorney  General,  the
15    State  Police,  the  Law  Enforcement  Training and Standards
16    Board, the State  Triad,  the  Criminal  Justice  Information
17    Authority,  the Departments of Public Health, Public Aid, and
18    Human Services, the Family Violence Coordinating Council, the
19    Violence Prevention Authority, and other  entities  that  may
20    impact  awareness  of, and response to, elder abuse, neglect,
21    and financial exploitation;
22        (g)  coordination  of  efforts  with  banks   and   other
23    financial  institutions to educate elders about investing and
24    to warn them about financial exploitation  and  telemarketing
25    frauds,  including: (i) an ombudsman program and (ii) efforts
26    by banks and other  financial  institutions,  in  conjunction
27    with  the  Department  on  Aging,  to  send  with  customers'
28    statements flyers containing this information; and
29        (h)  coordination  of  efforts  with utility companies to
30    send notices in utility  bills  which  explain  elder  rights
31    regarding telemarketing home repair frauds.
32    (Source: P.A. 90-628, eff. 1-1-99.)

33        (320 ILCS 20/4) (from Ch. 23, par. 6604)
 
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 1        Sec. 4.  Reports of abuse or neglect.
 2        (a)  Any  person  who  suspects  the  abuse,  neglect, or
 3    financial exploitation of an eligible adult may  report  this
 4    suspicion  to  an  agency  designated to receive such reports
 5    under this Act or to the Department.
 6        (a-5)  If any mandated reporter  has  reason  to  believe
 7    that  an eligible adult, who because of dysfunction is unable
 8    to seek assistance for himself or herself,  has,  within  the
 9    previous  12  months,  been  subjected  to abuse, neglect, or
10    financial exploitation, the mandated reporter  shall,  within
11    24  hours after developing such belief, report this suspicion
12    to an agency designated to receive such  reports  under  this
13    Act  or  to  the Department.  Whenever a mandated reporter is
14    required to report under this Act in his or her capacity as a
15    member of the staff of a medical or other public  or  private
16    institution,  facility, board and care home, or agency, he or
17    she shall make a report to an agency  designated  to  receive
18    such   reports  under  this  Act  or  to  the  Department  in
19    accordance with the provisions  of  this  Act  and  may  also
20    notify  the  person  in  charge of the institution, facility,
21    board and care home, or agency or his or her designated agent
22    that the report has been made.  Under no circumstances  shall
23    any person in charge of such institution, facility, board and
24    care  home, or agency, or his or her designated agent to whom
25    the  notification  has  been  made,  exercise  any   control,
26    restraint, modification, or other change in the report or the
27    forwarding  of  the report to an agency designated to receive
28    such reports under  this  Act  or  to  the  Department.   The
29    privileged  quality of communication between any professional
30    person required to report and his or her  patient  or  client
31    shall not apply to situations involving abused, neglected, or
32    financially   exploited   eligible   adults   and  shall  not
33    constitute grounds for failure to report as required by  this
34    Act.
 
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 1        (a-7)  A  person  making  a  report under this Act in the
 2    belief that it is in the alleged victim's best interest shall
 3    be immune from criminal or civil  liability  or  professional
 4    disciplinary   action   on  account  of  making  the  report,
 5    notwithstanding    any    requirements     concerning     the
 6    confidentiality  of information with respect to such eligible
 7    adult which might otherwise be applicable.
 8        (a-9)  Law enforcement officers shall continue to  report
 9    incidents  of alleged abuse pursuant to the Illinois Domestic
10    Violence Act of 1986, notwithstanding any requirements  under
11    this Act.
12        (b)  Any  person,  institution or agency participating in
13    the making of a  report,  providing  information  or  records
14    related   to   a   report,   assessment,   or   services,  or
15    participating in the investigation of a report under this Act
16    in good faith, or taking photographs or x-rays as a result of
17    an authorized assessment, shall have immunity from any civil,
18    criminal or other liability in any civil, criminal  or  other
19    proceeding  brought  in  consequence of making such report or
20    assessment  or  on  account  of   submitting   or   otherwise
21    disclosing   such   photographs   or  x-rays  to  any  agency
22    designated to receive reports of alleged or  suspected  abuse
23    or  neglect.  Any person, institution or agency authorized by
24    the  Department  to  provide  assessment,  intervention,   or
25    administrative  services  under  this  Act shall, in the good
26    faith performance of those services, have immunity  from  any
27    civil, criminal or other liability in any civil, criminal, or
28    other  proceeding brought as a consequence of the performance
29    of those services. For the purposes of any  civil,  criminal,
30    or other proceeding, the good faith of any person required to
31    report,   permitted   to   report,  or  participating  in  an
32    investigation of a report  of  alleged  or  suspected  abuse,
33    neglect, or financial exploitation shall be presumed.
34        (c)  The  identity of a person making a report of alleged
 
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 1    or suspected abuse or neglect under this Act may be disclosed
 2    by the Department or other agency provided for  in  this  Act
 3    only with such person's written consent or by court order.
 4        (d)  The  Department shall by rule establish a system for
 5    filing and compiling reports made under this Act.
 6        (e)  Any professional person who is a  mandated  reporter
 7    who   willfully   fails   to   report   suspected   financial
 8    exploitation,  abuse,  or  neglect  of  an  elderly person as
 9    required by this Act, as determined by the Department,  shall
10    be referred by the Department to the appropriate licensing or
11    disciplinary board for disciplinary action.  Any other person
12    required   by   this   Act   to  report  suspected  financial
13    exploitation, abuse, or neglect  of  an  elderly  person  who
14    willfully  fails  to  report  shall  be  guilty  of a Class A
15    misdemeanor.
16    (Source: P.A. 90-628, eff. 1-1-99.)

17        (320 ILCS 20/7) (from Ch. 23, par. 6607)
18        Sec. 7.  Review.  All services provided  to  an  eligible
19    adult  shall be reviewed by the provider agency on at least a
20    quarterly basis for up to  2  years  one  year  to  determine
21    whether   the  service  care  plan  should  be  continued  or
22    modified.
23    (Source: P.A. 90-628, eff. 1-1-99.)

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