HB3571 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB103 29393 CPF 55784 b

103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB3571

Introduced 2/17/2023, by Rep. Lakesia Collins

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

New Act

Creates the Community Hospice and Palliative Care Professional Loan Repayment Program Act. Provides that beginning on or before 6 months after the effective date of the Act, the Community Hospice and Palliative Care Professional Loan Repayment Program is created, which shall be administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Provides that the program shall provide loan repayment assistance, subject to appropriation, to eligible hospice and palliative professionals practicing in a community-based hospice agency that provides services in the State. Provides that each year, the Commission shall receive and consider applications for loan repayment assistance under this Act. Makes provisions concerning grant awards; eligibility requirements; and other matters. Provides that the Commission shall administer the program and shall adopt rules not inconsistent with the Act for the program's effective implementation. Provides that the Act is inoperative 10 years on and after the effective date. Effective immediately.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning health.

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

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Community Hospice and Palliative Care Professional Loan Repayment Program Act.

Section 5. Purpose. The purpose of the Community Hospice and Palliative Care Professional Loan Repayment Program is to help licensed hospice and palliative care providers recruit and retain qualified professionals and address this State's community-based hospice and palliative care workforce shortage. The goal of the program is to reduce disparities in access to critical health services for people with serious illness or near the end of life.

Section 10. Definitions. In this Act:

"Commission" means the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.

"Physician" means a person licensed by this State to practice medicine in all its branches and includes any person holding a temporary license, as provided in the Medical Practice Act of 1987.

"Program" means the Community Hospice and Palliative Care Professional Loan Repayment Program.

"Hospice agency" means a public agency or private organization or a subdivision of either that is primarily engaged in providing comprehensive hospice services as defined in the Hospice Program Licensing Act and meets the minimum standards for certification under the Medicare program set forth in the Conditions of Participation in 42 CFR 482 but is not required to be Medicare-certified.

Section 15. Community Hospice and Palliative Care Professional Loan Repayment Program. Beginning on or before 6 months after the effective date of this Act, the Community Hospice and Palliative Care Professional Loan Repayment Program is created, which shall be administered by the Commission. The program shall provide loan repayment assistance, subject to appropriation, to eligible hospice and palliative professionals practicing in a community-based hospice agency that provides services in the State.

Section 20. Applications. Each year, the Commission shall receive and consider applications for loan repayment assistance under this Act. All applications must be submitted to the Commission in a form and manner prescribed by the Commission. Applicants must submit any supporting documents deemed necessary by the Commission at the time of application.

Section 25. Award; maximum loan time; minimum and maximum amount. Subject to appropriation, the Commission shall award a grant to each qualified applicant for a maximum of 4 years. The Commission shall encourage the recipient of a grant awarded under this Act to use the grant award for payments towards the recipient's educational loans. The yearly appropriation for the program shall be divided in proportion to workforce shortages, as determined by the Commission in consultation with stakeholders, in the following professional groups: (i) hospice and palliative care certified physicians; (ii) advanced practice registered nurses; (iii) registered nurses; (iv) licensed social workers; and (v) licensed practical nurses. The minimum amount of any award shall not be less than 10% of the awardee's outstanding loan balance for that award year. The maximum amount of any award shall not exceed 20% of the awardee's outstanding loan balance for that award year. Any unawarded funds allocated to a professional group shall be distributed toward awards for a different professional group at the discretion of the Commission and based on workforce demand.

Section 30. Eligibility; work requirement.

(a) To be eligible for assistance under the program, the Commission must find that the applicant satisfies all of the following the applicant:

(1) is a United States citizen or an eligible noncitizen;

(2) is a resident of this State:

(3) has worked for at least 12 consecutive months as a hospice and palliative professional in a community-based hospice agency in this State;

(4) is a borrower with an outstanding balance due on an educational loan; and

(5) has not defaulted on an educational loan.

(b) The Commission may grant preference to a previous recipient of a grant under the program, provided that the recipient continues to meet the eligibility requirements under this Section.

(c) A recipient of a grant under the program must complete a separate 12-month period working in a community-based hospice program in this State for each grant that they are awarded.

(d) If an appropriation for this program for a given fiscal year is insufficient to provide grants to all qualified applicants, the Commission shall allocate the appropriation in accordance with this subsection. If funds are insufficient to provide all qualified applicants with a grant as authorized by this Section, the Commission shall allocate the available grant funds for that fiscal year to qualified applicants who submit a complete application on or before a date specified by the Commission, based on the following order of priority:

(1) first, to new, qualified applicants or previous, qualified recipients of a grant who are members of a racial minority as defined in subsection (e); and

(2) second, to other new, qualified applicants or previous, qualified recipients of a grant in accordance with this Section.

(e) Racial minorities are underrepresented as community-based hospice and palliative care, interdisciplinary healthcare providers in the State, and the General Assembly finds that it is in the interest of this State to provide them priority consideration for programs that encourage racial minorities participation in this field. A workforce that is more reflective of the seriously ill population in a minority community can improve utilization of hospice and palliative care services which will address inequities to health outcomes for this population. Therefore, the Commission shall give priority to those applicants who are members of a racial minority. As used in this subsection, "racial minority" means a person who is a citizen of the United States or a lawful permanent resident alien of the United States and who is:

(1) Black, or a person having origins in any of the black racial groups in Africa;

(2) Hispanic, or a person of Spanish or Portuguese culture with origins in Mexico, South or Central America, or the Caribbean Islands, regardless of race;

(3) Asian American, or a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, or the Pacific Islands; or

(4) American Indian or Alaskan Native, or a person having origins in any of the original peoples of North America.

Section 35. Administration; rules. The Commission shall administer the program and shall adopt rules not inconsistent with this Act for the program's effective implementation.

Section 40. Act inoperative. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, this Act is inoperative 10 years on and after the effective date.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.