State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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[ Engrossed ][ House Amendment 001 ]


92_HB0016

 
                                              LRB9201018DJgcA

 1        AN ACT in relation to disabled persons.

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

 4        Section 1.  Short title. This Act may  be  cited  as  the
 5    Family Caregiver Support Act.

 6        Section  5.  Legislative  findings.  The General Assembly
 7    recognizes that:
 8             (1)  Most care provided  for  functionally  disabled
 9        aged adults is delivered by family members or friends who
10        are   not   compensated   for   their   services.  Family
11        involvement  is  a  crucial  element  for   avoiding   or
12        postponing  institutionalization  of  the  aged  disabled
13        adult.
14             (2)  Family   or   other   caregivers   who  provide
15        continuous  care  in  the  home  are   frequently   under
16        substantial   physical,   psychological,   and  financial
17        stress. The stress, if unrelieved by family or  community
18        support  to  the  caregiver,  may  lead  to  premature or
19        unnecessary nursing home placement.
20             (3)  Respite   care   and   other    community-based
21        supportive  services  for  the caregiver and for the aged
22        disabled  adult  could  relieve  some  of  the  stresses,
23        maintain  and  strengthen  the  family   structure,   and
24        postpone or prevent institutionalization.
25             (4)  With  family  and friends providing the primary
26        care  for  the  aged  disabled  adult,  supplemented   by
27        community  health and social services, long-term care may
28        be   less   costly   than   if   the   individual    were
29        institutionalized.

30        Section  10.  Legislative intent. It is the intent of the
 
                            -2-               LRB9201018DJgcA
 1    General  Assembly  to  provide  a  comprehensive  program  of
 2    long-term care information and support, including in-home and
 3    out-of-home respite  care  services,  for  family  and  other
 4    unpaid  caregivers  who  provide  the daily services required
 5    when caring for aged  adults  with  functional  disabilities.
 6    These family caregiver long-term care information and support
 7    services shall do the following:
 8             (1)  Provide  information,  relief,  and  support to
 9        family or other unpaid caregivers  of  aged  adults  with
10        functional disabilities.
11             (2)  Encourage  family  and other unpaid individuals
12        to  provide  care  for  aged   adults   with   functional
13        disabilities at home, and thus offer a viable alternative
14        to placement in a long-term care facility.
15             (3)  Ensure  that  respite  care  is  made generally
16        available to  eligible  participants  under  the  Respite
17        Program Act.
18             (4)  Be  provided  in  the least restrictive setting
19        available consistent with the individually assessed needs
20        of the aged adults with functional disabilities.
21             (5)  Include services appropriate to  the  needs  of
22        persons   caring  for  aged  individuals  with  dementing
23        illnesses.
24             (6)  Provide family and other unpaid caregivers with
25        services that enable  them  to  make  informed  decisions
26        about  current  and  future  care plans, solve day-to-day
27        caregiving problems, learn essential  caregiving  skills,
28        and locate services that may strengthen their capacity to
29        provide care.

30        Section 15.  Definitions. In this Act:
31        "Adult day services" means nonmedical services to persons
32    who  live  with  their families, cannot be left unsupervised,
33    and are at risk of being placed in a 24-hour care facility if
 
                            -3-               LRB9201018DJgcA
 1    their families do not receive some relief from constant care.
 2        "Department" means the Department on Aging.
 3        "Eligible participant" means a person eligible for family
 4    caregiver long-term care  information  and  support  services
 5    under  this Act who is aged or a senior citizen as defined in
 6    the Illinois Act on the Aging  and  who  needs  substantially
 7    continuous  care  or  supervision  by  reason  of  his or her
 8    functional disability and may be at risk of placement into  a
 9    long-term care facility.
10        "Eligible  participant for respite care services" means a
11    person eligible for services  authorized  under  the  Respite
12    Program Act.
13        "Family  caregiver long-term care information and support
14    services" means  providing  long-term  care  information  and
15    support  services  to  family  and other unpaid caregivers of
16    eligible participants with functional disabilities, including
17    but not limited to providing the following:
18             (1)  Information about available public and  private
19        long-term care support services.
20             (2)  Assistance  in  gaining  access  to an array of
21        appropriate long-term care family caregiver services.
22             (3)  Promotion and implementation of support groups.
23             (4)  Benefits counseling and  caregiver  counseling,
24        and caregiver training to assist the unpaid caregivers in
25        making decisions and solving challenges relating to their
26        caregiving roles.
27             (5)  Respite care services.
28             (6)  Additional  supportive  long-term care services
29        that  may  include   but   need   not   be   limited   to
30        translating/interpreter       services,       specialized
31        transportation,  coordination  of  health  care services,
32        help with purchasing needed supplies, durable goods, home
33        modifications,  or  equipment,   and   other   forms   of
34        information  and support necessary to maintain the unpaid
 
                            -4-               LRB9201018DJgcA
 1        caregiving activity.
 2        "Home modification" means reasonable modifications to the
 3    structure  of  a  home  for  the  purpose  of  reducing   the
 4    caregiving  burden,  as  approved  by the Department, such as
 5    grab bars, safety devices, and wheelchair  ramps,  that  help
 6    the  functionally  dependent  older  adult  with carrying out
 7    activities of daily living.
 8        "Respite care services" means services  authorized  under
 9    the Respite Program Act.
10        "Unpaid  caregiver"  means  a spouse, relative, or friend
11    who has primary responsibility for the care of an aged  adult
12    with  a  functional  disability  and  who  does  not  receive
13    financial  compensation  for  the  care.  To  be eligible for
14    respite care and for family caregiver support  services,  the
15    caregiver is considered the client.

16        Section  20.  Administration of Act. The Department shall
17    administer this Act and shall establish rules  and  standards
18    the  Department  deems  necessary  in administering this Act.
19    The Department shall administer this Act in conjunction  with
20    Section  4.02  and  related provisions of the Illinois Act on
21    the Aging.

22        Section 25.  Provision of services. The Department  shall
23    contract  with  area  agencies  on aging or other appropriate
24    agencies  to  conduct   family   caregiver   long-term   care
25    information  and  support services to the extent of available
26    funding. The agencies' responsibilities shall include but not
27    be limited to the following:
28             (1)  Administering a  program  of  family  caregiver
29        long-term care information and support services.
30             (2)  Arranging   for   the   delivery   of  services
31        authorized under the Respite Program Act.
 
                            -5-               LRB9201018DJgcA
 1        Section 30.  Maintaining data. The area agencies on aging
 2    administering family caregiver long-term care information and
 3    support services shall maintain data  that  indicates  demand
 4    for  family  caregiver long-term care information and support
 5    services.

 6        Section 35.  Health care practitioners and facilities not
 7    impaired. Nothing in this Act shall impair  the  practice  of
 8    any licensed health care practitioner or licensed health care
 9    facility.

10        Section 40.  Entitlement not created. Nothing in this Act
11    creates  or  provides  any  individual with an entitlement to
12    services or benefits. It is  the  General  Assembly's  intent
13    that  services under this Act shall be made available only to
14    the extent of the availability and  level  of  appropriations
15    made by the General Assembly.

16        Section  45.  National  Family Caregiver Support Program.
17    The Department  shall  seek  and  secure  funding  under  the
18    National  Family  Caregiver  Support  Program  to  supplement
19    private or other public moneys made available or appropriated
20    for the purposes of this Act.

21        Section  90.  The  Respite  Program  Act  is  amended  by
22    changing Section 8 as follows:

23        (320 ILCS 10/8) (from Ch. 23, par. 6208)
24        Sec. 8.  Funding.  Respite projects authorized under this
25    Act   shall  be  funded  only  to  the  extent  of  available
26    appropriations for such purposes.  The  Director  shall  seek
27    and  obtain  federal  funds  that may be available to finance
28    grants awarded under Section 6 of this Act,  and  shall  also
29    seek and obtain other non-state resources for which the State
 
                            -6-               LRB9201018DJgcA
 1    may  be  eligible.  Implementation of projects under this Act
 2    shall  be  contingent  upon  the  availability   of   federal
 3    financial   participation.    To  the  extent  necessary  for
 4    implementation  of  this  Act,  the  Department  shall   seek
 5    appropriate  waivers  of  federal  requirements from the U.S.
 6    Department of Health and Human Services.
 7    (Source: P.A. 87-974.)

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