State of Illinois
90th General Assembly
Legislation

   [ Search ]   [ Legislation ]   [ Bill Summary ]
[ Home ]   [ Back ]   [ Bottom ]


[ Introduced ][ Enrolled ]

90_HB1316eng

      20 ILCS 105/4.01          from Ch. 23, par. 6104.01
          Amends the Illinois Act  on  the  Aging  to  require  the
      Department   on   Aging   to   develop   guidelines  for  the
      organization and implementation of Volunteer Services  Credit
      Programs and to submit the guidelines to the General Assembly
      by July 1, 1998.
                                                     LRB9003724MWsb
HB1316 Engrossed                               LRB9003724MWsb
 1        AN ACT to amend the Illinois Act on the Aging by changing
 2    Section 4.01.
 3        Be  it  enacted  by  the People of the State of Illinois,
 4    represented in the General Assembly:
 5        Section 5.  The Illinois Act on the Aging is  amended  by
 6    changing Section 4.01 as follows:
 7        (20 ILCS 105/4.01) (from Ch. 23, par. 6104.01)
 8        Sec.   4.01.    Additional   powers  and  duties  of  the
 9    Department.  In  addition  to  powers  and  duties  otherwise
10    provided  by  law,  the  Department  shall have the following
11    powers and duties:
12        (1)  To evaluate all programs, services,  and  facilities
13    for  the  aged  and  for  minority senior citizens within the
14    State and determine the extent to  which  present  public  or
15    private  programs,  services and facilities meet the needs of
16    the aged.
17        (2)  To coordinate and evaluate all  programs,  services,
18    and facilities for the Aging and for minority senior citizens
19    presently  furnished  by  State agencies and make appropriate
20    recommendations  regarding  such   services,   programs   and
21    facilities to the Governor and/or the General Assembly.
22        (3)  To  function  as  the sole State agency to develop a
23    comprehensive plan to meet the needs of  the  State's  senior
24    citizens and the State's minority senior citizens.
25        (4)  To receive and disburse State and federal funds made
26    available  directly  to  the Department including those funds
27    made available under the Older Americans Act and  the  Senior
28    Community  Service  Employment Program for providing services
29    for senior citizens  and  minority  senior  citizens  or  for
30    purposes  related  thereto,  and shall develop and administer
31    any State Plan for the Aging required by federal law.
HB1316 Engrossed            -2-                LRB9003724MWsb
 1        (5)  To solicit, accept, hold, and administer  in  behalf
 2    of  the State any grants or legacies of money, securities, or
 3    property to the State of  Illinois  for  services  to  senior
 4    citizens  and  minority  senior  citizens or purposes related
 5    thereto.
 6        (6)  To   provide   consultation   and   assistance    to
 7    communities,  area  agencies  on aging, and groups developing
 8    local  services  for  senior  citizens  and  minority  senior
 9    citizens.
10        (7)  To  promote  community   education   regarding   the
11    problems  of  senior  citizens  and  minority senior citizens
12    through institutes, publications, radio, television  and  the
13    local press.
14        (8)  To cooperate with agencies of the federal government
15    in  studies  and conferences designed to examine the needs of
16    senior citizens and minority senior citizens and  to  prepare
17    programs and facilities to meet those needs.
18        (9)  To  establish  and maintain information and referral
19    sources throughout the  State  when  not  provided  by  other
20    agencies.
21        (10)  To  provide  the staff support as may reasonably be
22    required by the Council and  the  Coordinating  Committee  of
23    State Agencies Serving Older Persons.
24        (11)  To make and enforce rules and regulations necessary
25    and proper to the performance of its duties.
26        (12)  To  establish  and  fund  programs  or  projects or
27    experimental  facilities  that  are  specially  designed   as
28    alternatives to institutional care.
29        (13)  To   develop   a  training  program  to  train  the
30    counselors  presently  employed  by  the  Department's  aging
31    network to provide Medicare beneficiaries with counseling and
32    advocacy in Medicare, private health insurance,  and  related
33    health  care  coverage plans.  The Department shall report to
34    the General Assembly on the implementation  of  the  training
HB1316 Engrossed            -3-                LRB9003724MWsb
 1    program on or before December 1, 1986.
 2        (14)  To  make  a  grant  to  an  institution  of  higher
 3    learning   to  study  the  feasibility  of  establishing  and
 4    implementing an affirmative action employment  plan  for  the
 5    recruitment, hiring, training and retraining of persons 60 or
 6    more  years old for jobs for which their employment would not
 7    be precluded by law.
 8        (15)  To present  one  award  annually  in  each  of  the
 9    categories  of  community service, education, the performance
10    and graphic arts, and the labor force to outstanding Illinois
11    senior citizens and minority senior citizens  in  recognition
12    of   their   individual  contributions  to  either  community
13    service, education, the performance and graphic arts, or  the
14    labor  force.   The  awards shall be presented to four senior
15    citizens and minority senior citizens selected from a list of
16    44 nominees compiled annually by the Department.  Nominations
17    shall be solicited from senior citizens'  service  providers,
18    area  agencies on aging, senior citizens' centers, and senior
19    citizens' organizations. The Department  shall  consult  with
20    the  Coordinating  Committee  of State Agencies Serving Older
21    Persons to determine which  of  the  nominees  shall  be  the
22    recipient   in  each  category  of  community  service.   The
23    Department shall establish  a  central  location  within  the
24    State to be designated as the Senior Illinoisans Hall of Fame
25    for  the public display of all the annual awards, or replicas
26    thereof.
27        (16)  To establish multipurpose  senior  centers  through
28    area  agencies  on  aging  and to fund those new and existing
29    multipurpose senior centers through area agencies  on  aging,
30    the  establishment  and funding to begin in such areas of the
31    State as the  Department  shall  designate  by  rule  and  as
32    specifically appropriated funds become available.
33        (17)  To   develop   the   content   and  format  of  the
34    acknowledgment regarding non-recourse reverse mortgage  loans
HB1316 Engrossed            -4-                LRB9003724MWsb
 1    under  Section  6.1  of  the Illinois Banking Act; to provide
 2    independent consumer information  on  reverse  mortgages  and
 3    alternatives;   and   to   refer   consumers  to  independent
 4    counseling services with expertise in reverse mortgages.
 5        (18)  To develop a pamphlet in English and Spanish  which
 6    may  be  used  by physicians licensed to practice medicine in
 7    all of its branches pursuant to the Medical Practice  Act  of
 8    1987,  pharmacists licensed pursuant to the Pharmacy Practice
 9    Act and Illinois residents 65 years of age or older  for  the
10    purpose of assisting physicians, pharmacists, and patients in
11    monitoring  prescriptions  provided by various physicians and
12    to aid persons 65 years of age or  older  in  complying  with
13    directions  for  proper  use of pharmaceutical prescriptions.
14    The pamphlet may  provide  space  for  recording  information
15    including but not limited to the following:
16             (a)  name and telephone number of the patient;
17             (b)  name  and  telephone  number of the prescribing
18        physician;
19             (c)  date of prescription;
20             (d)  name of drug prescribed;
21             (e)   directions for patient compliance; and
22             (f)  name  and  telephone   number   of   dispensing
23        pharmacy.
24        In  developing the pamphlet, the Department shall consult
25    with the Illinois  State  Medical  Society,  the  Center  for
26    Minority    Health   Services,   the   Illinois   Pharmacists
27    Association   and   senior   citizens   organizations.    The
28    Department shall  distribute  the  pamphlets  to  physicians,
29    pharmacists  and  persons 65 years of age or older or various
30    senior citizen organizations throughout the State.
31        (19)  To  conduct  a  study  by  April  1,  1994  of  the
32    feasibility of  implementing  the  Senior  Companion  Program
33    throughout  the  State  for the fiscal year beginning July 1,
34    1994.
HB1316 Engrossed            -5-                LRB9003724MWsb
 1        (20)  With respect to contracts  in  effect  on  July  1,
 2    1994, the Department shall increase the grant amounts so that
 3    the  reimbursement  rates  paid  through  the  community care
 4    program for chore housekeeping services and homemakers are at
 5    the same rate, which shall be  the  higher  of  the  2  rates
 6    currently  paid.  With respect to all contracts entered into,
 7    renewed,  or  extended  on  or  after  July  1,   1994,   the
 8    reimbursement  rates  paid through the community care program
 9    for chore housekeeping services and homemakers shall  be  the
10    same.
11        (21)  From  funds appropriated to the Department from the
12    Meals on Wheels Fund, a special fund in  the  State  treasury
13    that  is  hereby  created,  and  in accordance with State and
14    federal guidelines and the  intrastate  funding  formula,  to
15    make  grants  to  area  agencies  on aging, designated by the
16    Department, for the  sole  purpose  of  delivering  meals  to
17    homebound persons 60 years of age and older.
18        (22)  To  distribute, through its area agencies on aging,
19    information  alerting  seniors  on  safety  issues  regarding
20    emergency weather  conditions,  including  extreme  heat  and
21    cold,  flooding,  tornadoes,  electrical  storms,  and  other
22    severe  storm  weather.   The  information  shall include all
23    necessary instructions for safety and all emergency telephone
24    numbers  of  organizations  that  will   provide   additional
25    information and assistance.
26        (23)  To  develop  guidelines  for  the  organization and
27    implementation of Volunteer Services Credit  Programs  to  be
28    administered  by  Area  Agencies  on Aging or community based
29    senior service  organizations.   The  Department  shall  hold
30    public   hearings  on  the  proposed  guidelines  for  public
31    comment, suggestion, and determination  of  public  interest.
32    The guidelines shall be based on the findings of other states
33    and of community organizations in Illinois that are currently
34    operating volunteer services credit programs or demonstration
HB1316 Engrossed            -6-                LRB9003724MWsb
 1    volunteer  services  credit  programs.   The Department shall
 2    offer guidelines for all aspects of the  programs  including,
 3    but not limited to, the following:
 4             (a)  types of services to be offered by volunteers;
 5             (b)  types  of  services  to  be  received  upon the
 6        redemption of service credits;
 7             (c)  issues of liability for the volunteers and  the
 8        administering organizations;
 9             (d)  methods  of tracking service credits earned and
10        service credits redeemed;
11             (e)  issues of time limits for redemption of service
12        credits;
13             (f)  methods of recruitment of volunteers;
14             (g)  utilization of community volunteers,  community
15        service   groups,  and  other  resources  for  delivering
16        services  to  be  received  by  service  credit   program
17        clients;
18             (h)  accountability and assurance that services will
19        be  available  to  individuals  who  have  earned service
20        credits; and
21             (i)  volunteer screening and qualifications.
22    The Department shall submit a written copy of the  guidelines
23    to the General Assembly by July 1, 1998.
24    (Source:  P.A. 88-55; 88-252; 88-254; 88-459; 88-500; 88-670,
25    eff. 12-2-94; 89-249, eff. 8-4-95; 89-580, eff. 1-1-97.)

[ Top ]