Public Act 098-0825
 
SB2773 EnrolledLRB098 18959 KTG 54107 b

    AN ACT concerning State government.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Illinois Public Aid Code is amended by
adding Section 12-4.47 as follows:
 
    (305 ILCS 5/12-4.47 new)
    Sec. 12-4.47. Long-Term Services and Supports Disparities
Task Force.
    (a) The Department of Healthcare and Family Services shall
establish a Long-Term Services and Supports Disparities Task
Force.
    (b) Members of the Task Force shall be appointed by the
Director of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services
and shall include representatives of the following agencies,
organizations, or groups:
        (1) The Governor's office.
        (2) The Department of Healthcare and Family Services.
        (3) The Department of Human Services.
        (4) The Department on Aging.
        (5) The Department of Human Rights.
        (6) Area Agencies on Aging.
        (7) The Department of Public Health.
        (8) Managed Care Plans.
        (9) The for-profit urban nursing home or assisted
    living industry.
        (10) The for-profit rural nursing home or assisted
    living industry.
        (11) The not-for-profit nursing home or assisted
    living industry.
        (12) The home care association or home care industry.
        (13) The adult day care association or adult day care
    industry.
        (14) An association representing workers who provide
    long-term services and supports.
        (15) A representative of providers that serve the
    predominantly ethnic minority populations.
        (16) Case Management Organizations.
        (17) Three consumer representatives which may include
    a consumer of long-term services and supports or an
    individual who advocates for such consumers. For purposes
    of this provision, "consumer representative" means a
    person who is not an elected official and who has no
    financial interest in a health or long-term care delivery
    system.
    (c) The Task Force shall not meet unless all consumer
representative positions are filled. The Task Force shall
reflect diversity in race, ethnicity, and gender.
    (d) The Chair of the Task Force shall be appointed by the
Director of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services.
    (e) The Director of the Department of Healthcare and Family
Services shall assign appropriate staff and resources to
support the efforts of the Task Force. The Task Force shall
meet as often as necessary but not less than 4 times per
calendar year.
    (f) The Task Force shall promote and facilitate
communication, coordination, and collaboration among relevant
State agencies and communities of color, limited
English-speaking communities, and the private and public
entities providing services to those communities.
    (g) The Task Force shall do all of the following:
        (1) Document the number and types of Long-Term Services
    and Supports (LTSS) providers in the State and the number
    of clients served in each setting.
        (2) Document the number and racial profiles of
    residents using LTSS including, but not limited to,
    residential nursing facilities, assisted living
    facilities, adult day care, home health services, and other
    home and community based long-term care services.
        (3) Document the number and profiles of family or
    informal caregivers who provide care for minority elders.
        (4) Compare data over multiple years to identify trends
    in the delivery of LTSS for each racial or ethnic category
    including: Alaskan Native or American Indian, Asian or
    Pacific Islander, black or African American, Hispanic, or
    white.
        (5) Identify any racial disparities in the provision of
    care in various LTSS settings and determine factors that
    might influence the disparities found.
        (6) Identify any disparities uniquely experienced in
    metropolitan or rural areas and make recommendations to
    address these areas.
        (7) Assess whether the LTSS industry, including
    managed care plans and independent providers, is equipped
    to offer culturally sensitive, competent, and
    linguistically appropriate care to meet the needs of a
    diverse aging population and their informal and formal
    caregivers.
        (8) Consider whether to recommend that the State
    require all home and community based services as a
    condition of licensure to report data similar to that
    gathered under the Minimum Data Set and required when a new
    resident is admitted to a nursing home.
        (9) Identify and prioritize recommendations for
    actions to be taken by the State to address disparity
    issues identified in the course of these studies.
        (10) Monitor the progress of the State in eliminating
    racial disparities in the delivery of LTSS.
    (h) The Task Force shall conduct public hearings,
inquiries, studies, and other forms of information gathering to
identify how the actions of State government contribute to or
reduce racial disparities in long-term care settings.
    (i) The Task Force shall report its findings and
recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly no
later than one year after the effective date of this amendatory
Act of the 98th General Assembly. Annual reports shall be
issued every year thereafter and shall include documentation of
progress made to eliminate disparities in long-term care
service settings.
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1,
2014.