093_HB1179 LRB093 06998 BDD 07148 b 1 AN ACT concerning personal care attendants. 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 3 represented in the General Assembly: 4 Section 5. The Disabled Persons Rehabilitation Act is 5 amended by changing Section 3 as follows: 6 (20 ILCS 2405/3) (from Ch. 23, par. 3434) 7 Sec. 3. Powers and duties. The Department shall have the 8 powers and duties enumerated herein: 9 (a) To co-operate with the federal government in the 10 administration of the provisions of the federal 11 Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, of the Workforce 12 Investment Act of 1998, and of the federal Social Security 13 Act to the extent and in the manner provided in these Acts. 14 (b) To prescribe and supervise such courses of 15 vocational training and provide such other services as may be 16 necessary for the habilitation and rehabilitation of persons 17 with one or more disabilities, including the administrative 18 activities under subsection (e) of this Section, and to 19 co-operate with State and local school authorities and other 20 recognized agencies engaged in habilitation, rehabilitation 21 and comprehensive rehabilitation services; and to cooperate 22 with the Department of Children and Family Services regarding 23 the care and education of children with one or more 24 disabilities. 25 (c) (Blank). 26 (d) To report in writing, to the Governor, annually on 27 or before the first day of December, and at such other times 28 and in such manner and upon such subjects as the Governor may 29 require. The annual report shall contain (1) a statement of 30 the existing condition of comprehensive rehabilitation 31 services, habilitation and rehabilitation in the State; (2) a -2- LRB093 06998 BDD 07148 b 1 statement of suggestions and recommendations with reference 2 to the development of comprehensive rehabilitation services, 3 habilitation and rehabilitation in the State; and (3) an 4 itemized statement of the amounts of money received from 5 federal, State and other sources, and of the objects and 6 purposes to which the respective items of these several 7 amounts have been devoted. 8 (e) (Blank). 9 (f) To establish a program of services to prevent 10 unnecessary institutionalization of persons with Alzheimer's 11 disease and related disorders or persons in need of long term 12 care who are established as blind or disabled as defined by 13 the Social Security Act, thereby enabling them to remain in 14 their own homes or other living arrangements. Such preventive 15 services may include, but are not limited to, any or all of 16 the following: 17 (1) home health services; 18 (2) home nursing services; 19 (3) homemaker services; 20 (4) chore and housekeeping services; 21 (5) day care services; 22 (6) home-delivered meals; 23 (7) education in self-care; 24 (8) personal care services; 25 (9) adult day health services; 26 (10) habilitation services; 27 (11) respite care; or 28 (12) other nonmedical social services that may 29 enable the person to become self-supporting. 30 The Department shall establish eligibility standards for 31 such services taking into consideration the unique economic 32 and social needs of the population for whom they are to be 33 provided. Such eligibility standards may be based on the 34 recipient's ability to pay for services; provided, however, -3- LRB093 06998 BDD 07148 b 1 that any portion of a person's income that is equal to or 2 less than the "protected income" level shall not be 3 considered by the Department in determining eligibility. The 4 "protected income" level shall be determined by the 5 Department, shall never be less than the federal poverty 6 standard, and shall be adjusted each year to reflect changes 7 in the Consumer Price Index For All Urban Consumers as 8 determined by the United States Department of Labor. 9 Additionally, in determining the amount and nature of 10 services for which a person may qualify, consideration shall 11 not be given to the value of cash, property or other assets 12 held in the name of the person's spouse pursuant to a written 13 agreement dividing marital property into equal but separate 14 shares or pursuant to a transfer of the person's interest in 15 a home to his spouse, provided that the spouse's share of the 16 marital property is not made available to the person seeking 17 such services. 18 The services shall be provided to eligible persons to 19 prevent unnecessary or premature institutionalization, to the 20 extent that the cost of the services, together with the other 21 personal maintenance expenses of the persons, are reasonably 22 related to the standards established for care in a group 23 facility appropriate to their condition. These 24 non-institutional services, pilot projects or experimental 25 facilities may be provided as part of or in addition to those 26 authorized by federal law or those funded and administered by 27 the Illinois Department on Aging. 28 Personal care attendants shall be paid: 29 (i) A $5 per hour minimum rate beginning July 1, 30 1995. 31 (ii) A $5.30 per hour minimum rate beginning July 32 1, 1997. 33 (iii) A $5.40 per hour minimum rate beginning July 34 1, 1998. -4- LRB093 06998 BDD 07148 b 1 (iv) A $6 per hour minimum rate beginning July 1, 2 2003. 3 (v) A $7 per hour minimum rate beginning January 1, 4 2004. 5 The Department shall execute, relative to the nursing 6 home prescreening project, as authorized by Section 4.03 of 7 the Illinois Act on the Aging, written inter-agency 8 agreements with the Department on Aging and the Department of 9 Public Aid, to effect the following: (i) intake procedures 10 and common eligibility criteria for those persons who are 11 receiving non-institutional services; and (ii) the 12 establishment and development of non-institutional services 13 in areas of the State where they are not currently available 14 or are undeveloped. On and after July 1, 1996, all nursing 15 home prescreenings for individuals 18 through 59 years of age 16 shall be conducted by the Department. 17 The Department is authorized to establish a system of 18 recipient cost-sharing for services provided under this 19 Section. The cost-sharing shall be based upon the 20 recipient's ability to pay for services, but in no case shall 21 the recipient's share exceed the actual cost of the services 22 provided. Protected income shall not be considered by the 23 Department in its determination of the recipient's ability to 24 pay a share of the cost of services. The level of 25 cost-sharing shall be adjusted each year to reflect changes 26 in the "protected income" level. The Department shall deduct 27 from the recipient's share of the cost of services any money 28 expended by the recipient for disability-related expenses. 29 The Department, or the Department's authorized 30 representative, shall recover the amount of moneys expended 31 for services provided to or in behalf of a person under this 32 Section by a claim against the person's estate or against the 33 estate of the person's surviving spouse, but no recovery may 34 be had until after the death of the surviving spouse, if any, -5- LRB093 06998 BDD 07148 b 1 and then only at such time when there is no surviving child 2 who is under age 21, blind, or permanently and totally 3 disabled. This paragraph, however, shall not bar recovery, 4 at the death of the person, of moneys for services provided 5 to the person or in behalf of the person under this Section 6 to which the person was not entitled; provided that such 7 recovery shall not be enforced against any real estate while 8 it is occupied as a homestead by the surviving spouse or 9 other dependent, if no claims by other creditors have been 10 filed against the estate, or, if such claims have been filed, 11 they remain dormant for failure of prosecution or failure of 12 the claimant to compel administration of the estate for the 13 purpose of payment. This paragraph shall not bar recovery 14 from the estate of a spouse, under Sections 1915 and 1924 of 15 the Social Security Act and Section 5-4 of the Illinois 16 Public Aid Code, who precedes a person receiving services 17 under this Section in death. All moneys for services paid to 18 or in behalf of the person under this Section shall be 19 claimed for recovery from the deceased spouse's estate. 20 "Homestead", as used in this paragraph, means the dwelling 21 house and contiguous real estate occupied by a surviving 22 spouse or relative, as defined by the rules and regulations 23 of the Illinois Department of Public Aid, regardless of the 24 value of the property. 25 The Department and the Department on Aging shall 26 cooperate in the development and submission of an annual 27 report on programs and services provided under this Section. 28 Such joint report shall be filed with the Governor and the 29 General Assembly on or before March 30 each year. 30 The requirement for reporting to the General Assembly 31 shall be satisfied by filing copies of the report with the 32 Speaker, the Minority Leader and the Clerk of the House of 33 Representatives and the President, the Minority Leader and 34 the Secretary of the Senate and the Legislative Research -6- LRB093 06998 BDD 07148 b 1 Unit, as required by Section 3.1 of the General Assembly 2 Organization Act, and filing additional copies with the State 3 Government Report Distribution Center for the General 4 Assembly as required under paragraph (t) of Section 7 of the 5 State Library Act. 6 (g) To establish such subdivisions of the Department as 7 shall be desirable and assign to the various subdivisions the 8 responsibilities and duties placed upon the Department by 9 law. 10 (h) To cooperate and enter into any necessary agreements 11 with the Department of Employment Security for the provision 12 of job placement and job referral services to clients of the 13 Department, including job service registration of such 14 clients with Illinois Employment Security offices and making 15 job listings maintained by the Department of Employment 16 Security available to such clients. 17 (i) To possess all powers reasonable and necessary for 18 the exercise and administration of the powers, duties and 19 responsibilities of the Department which are provided for by 20 law. 21 (j) To establish a procedure whereby new providers of 22 personal care attendant services shall submit vouchers to the 23 State for payment two times during their first month of 24 employment and one time per month thereafter. In no case 25 shall the Department pay personal care attendants an hourly 26 wage that is less than the federal minimum wage. 27 (k) To provide adequate notice to providers of chore and 28 housekeeping services informing them that they are entitled 29 to an interest payment on bills which are not promptly paid 30 pursuant to Section 3 of the State Prompt Payment Act. 31 (l) To establish, operate and maintain a Statewide 32 Housing Clearinghouse of information on available, government 33 subsidized housing accessible to disabled persons and 34 available privately owned housing accessible to disabled -7- LRB093 06998 BDD 07148 b 1 persons. The information shall include but not be limited to 2 the location, rental requirements, access features and 3 proximity to public transportation of available housing. The 4 Clearinghouse shall consist of at least a computerized 5 database for the storage and retrieval of information and a 6 separate or shared toll free telephone number for use by 7 those seeking information from the Clearinghouse. Department 8 offices and personnel throughout the State shall also assist 9 in the operation of the Statewide Housing Clearinghouse. 10 Cooperation with local, State and federal housing managers 11 shall be sought and extended in order to frequently and 12 promptly update the Clearinghouse's information. 13 (m) To assure that the names and case records of persons 14 who received or are receiving services from the Department, 15 including persons receiving vocational rehabilitation, home 16 services, or other services, and those attending one of the 17 Department's schools or other supervised facility shall be 18 confidential and not be open to the general public. Those 19 case records and reports or the information contained in 20 those records and reports shall be disclosed by the Director 21 only to proper law enforcement officials, individuals 22 authorized by a court, the General Assembly or any committee 23 or commission of the General Assembly, and other persons and 24 for reasons as the Director designates by rule. Disclosure 25 by the Director may be only in accordance with other 26 applicable law. 27 (Source: P.A. 91-540, eff. 8-13-99; 92-84, eff. 7-1-02.) 28 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 29 1, 2003.