103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
SB1454
 
Introduced 2/7/2023, by Sen. Sue Rezin
 
SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 

 
20 ILCS 2805/2.01c

     Amends the Department of Veterans' Affairs Act. Defines "outbreak" as 2 or more individuals, employees, staff, or residents living within or employed by a Veterans Home contracting an infectious disease within 48 hours of the first diagnosis. Provides that if a Veterans Home administrator or a member of the administrative staff is notified that an outbreak has occurred, the Department of Veterans' Affairs and the Department of Public Health shall conduct an onsite visit to assess the status of the spread and determine if any additional actions can be taken to lessen exposure to the disease. Provides that the Department of Veterans' Affairs and Department of Public Health are to conduct the site visit as soon as practical, but in no event shall the visit be delayed later than the end of the next business day. Requires the Department of Veterans' Affairs to post specific information on its website upon conducting a site visit.
  


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A BILL FOR
 

  
SB1454LRB103 27413 KTG 53785 b


  
1    AN ACT concerning veterans.
  
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
 
3represented in the General Assembly:
  
 
 
4    Section 5. The Department of Veterans' Affairs Act is 
5amended  by changing Section 2.01c as follows:
 
6    (20 ILCS 2805/2.01c)
7    Sec. 2.01c. Veterans Home; notice of infectious disease. 
8    (a) As used in this Section, "infectious disease" means 
9any disease caused by a living organism or other pathogen, 
10including a fungus, bacteria, parasite, protozoan, prion, or 
11virus, that has a history of or potential for a significant 
12mortality rate among elderly or vulnerable populations, 
13including, but not limited to, strains of influenza, 
14Legionnaires' disease, coronavirus, and pneumonia. 
15    (a-1) As used in this Section, "outbreak" means 2 or more 
16individuals, employees, staff, or residents living within or 
17employed by the Veterans Home contracting an infectious 
18disease within 48 hours of the first diagnosis. 
19    (b) If a Veterans Home administrator or a member of the 
20administrative staff is notified that, within one month or 
21less, 2 or more persons residing within the Veterans Home are 
22diagnosed with an infectious disease by a physician licensed 
23to practice medicine in all its branches; a hospital licensed 
 
 
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1under the Hospital Licensing Act or organized under the 
2University of Illinois Hospital Act; a long-term care facility 
3licensed under the Nursing Home Care Act; a freestanding 
4emergency center licensed under the Emergency Medical Services 
5(EMS) Systems Act; a local health department; or any other 
6State agency or government entity, then, within  24 hours after 
7the facility is notified of the second diagnosis, the Veterans 
8Home must:
9        (1)  provide a written notification of the incidence of 
10    the infectious disease to each resident of the facility 
11    and the resident's emergency contact or next of kin;
12        (2) post a notification of the incidence of the 
13    infectious disease in a conspicuous place near the main 
14    entrance to the Veterans Home; and
15        (3) provide a written notification to the Department 
16    of Veterans' Affairs and the Department of Public Health 
17    of the incidence of the infectious disease and of 
18    compliance with  the written notification requirements of 
19    paragraph (1).
20    In addition to the initial written notifications, the 
21Veterans Home must provide written notifications of any 
22updates on the incidence of the infectious disease and any 
23options that are available to the residents. 
24    The Department of Veterans' Affairs and the Department of 
25Public Health must post the notification of the incidence of 
26the infectious disease, any updates, and any options that are 
 
 
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1available to the residents on their websites as soon as 
2practicable after receiving the notification, but in no event 
3shall the notice be posted later than the end of the next 
4business day.

5    (c) If a Veterans Home administrator or a member of the 
6administrative staff is notified that an outbreak has 
7occurred, the Department of Veterans' Affairs and the 
8Department of Public Health shall conduct an onsite visit to 
9assess the status of the spread and determine if any 
10additional actions can be taken to lessen exposure to the 
11disease. The Department of Veterans' Affairs and Department of 
12Public Health are to conduct the visit as soon as practical, 
13but in no event shall the visit be delayed later than the end 
14of the next business day.
15    Upon conducting the site visit, the Department of 
16Veterans' Affairs shall post on its website:
17        (1) the findings of the onsite inspection;
18        (2) the corrections needed to fix any disparities or 
19    discrepancies in procedure found;
20        (3) the date or dates of the next onsite inspection to 
21    determine if the appropriate actions and visit 
22    recommendations have been taken; and
23        (4) any and all initial and follow-up reports from the 
24    initial site visit. 
25(Source: P.A. 100-632, eff. 7-27-18.)