103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB5784

 

Introduced 3/20/2024, by Rep. Anne Stava-Murray

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
305 ILCS 5/5-2c new

    Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to establish and administer, by January 1, 2026, a Certified Family Health Aide Program that permits a legally responsible family caregiver or family member to receive specific training from a participating licensed home health agency, home nursing agency, or home services agency on the provision of private duty nursing services. Provides that a legally responsible family caregiver or family member who successfully completes training and meets all other applicable requirements under State or federal law shall receive certification as a certified family health aide and be eligible to provide private duty nursing services to a qualifying family member under the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment benefit or through any home and community-based services waiver program for medically fragile and technology dependent children. Provides that no home health agency, home nursing agency, home services agency, or legally responsible family caregiver or family member is required to participate in the program. Contains provisions on training and instruction requirements for certification; additional hands-on training provided by participating agencies; competency requirements for certified family health aides; background check requirements; reimbursement rates for certified family health aide services; Department rules and reporting requirements; monthly meetings between the Department and participating agencies during the implementation phase of the program; and other matters. Effective immediately.


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A BILL FOR

 

HB5784LRB103 39920 KTG 70945 b

1    AN ACT concerning public aid.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Illinois Public Aid Code is amended by
5adding Section 5-2c as follows:
 
6    (305 ILCS 5/5-2c new)
7    Sec. 5-2c. Certified Family Health Aide Program.
8    (a) As used in this Section:
9    "Home health agency", "home nursing agency", and "home
10services agency" have the same meaning ascribed to those terms
11under the Home Health, Home Services, and Home Nursing Agency
12Licensing Act.
13    "Legally responsible family caregiver or family member"
14mean a parent, guardian, or adult sibling, 18 years of age or
15older, of a household family member who receives or is
16eligible to receive in-home shift nursing services or in-home
17respite services under the Early and Periodic Screening,
18Diagnostic and Treatment benefit authorized under 42 CFR
19441.50 or through any home and community-based services waiver
20program for medically fragile and technology dependent
21children as authorized under Section 1915(c) of the Social
22Security Act.
23    "Participating agency" means a home health agency, home

 

 

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1nursing agency, or home services agency that participates in
2the Certified Family Health Aide Program.
3    "Program" means the Certified Family Health Aide Program.
4    (b) By January 1, 2026, the Department shall establish and
5administer a Certified Family Health Aide Program that permits
6a legally responsible family caregiver or family member to
7receive specific training from a participating licensed home
8health agency, home nursing agency, or home services agency on
9the provision of private duty nursing services. A legally
10responsible family caregiver or family member who successfully
11completes training and meets all other applicable requirements
12under State or federal law shall receive certification as a
13certified family health aide and be eligible to provide
14private duty nursing services to a qualifying family member
15under the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and
16Treatment benefit or through any home and community-based
17services waiver program for medically fragile and technology
18dependent children. No home health agency, home nursing
19agency, home services agency, or legally responsible family
20caregiver or family member is required to participate in the
21program.
22    (c) To obtain certification as a family health aide under
23the program, a legally responsible family caregiver or family
24member must complete all training, testing, and other
25qualification criteria as prescribed by the Department, by
26rule, or as required under any applicable State or federal

 

 

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1law. Training provided by a participating agency must follow
2federal guidelines and standards on home health aide
3instruction and training as set forth in 42 CFR 484.80. All
4family health aides must complete training and instruction on
5the following tasks:
6        (1) patient care transfers;
7        (2) positioning;
8        (3) ambulation;
9        (4) feeding;
10        (5) personal 24 care;
11        (6) catheter care;
12        (7) range of motion;
13        (8) observation and reporting of a patient's vital
14    signs and blood pressure;
15        (9) medication administration;
16        (10) enteral care; and
17        (11) meal and formula preparation.
18    A participating agency must provide an additional 10 hours
19of hands-on training in the tasks described in paragraphs (1)
20through (11). All training and instruction provided by a
21participating agency must be documented by the participating
22agency. Each of tasks described in paragraphs (1) through (11)
23shall be within the scope of practice for certified family
24health aides.
25    (d) Certified family health aides must meet all competency
26requirements imposed by the participating agency, as well as

 

 

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1applicable State and federal guidelines, before providing
2private duty nursing services to a family member who is
3receiving medical assistance under the Early and Periodic
4Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment benefit or through any
5home and community-based services waiver program for medically
6fragile and technology dependent children. A participating
7agency that employs a legally responsible family caregiver or
8family member prior to certification shall be required to pay
9all training costs for the legally responsible family
10caregiver or family member to become a certified family health
11aide. No legally responsible family caregiver or family member
12shall be required to reimburse the participating agency for
13the training costs associated with certification. A legally
14responsible family caregiver or family member must meet all
15applicable State and federal background screening requirements
16and regulations, including a fingerprint-based criminal
17history records check, to obtain employment at a participating
18agency.
19    The Department shall adopt rules to implement the program,
20including, but not limited to, rules on application and
21certification requirements for legally responsible family
22caregivers or family members seeking to participate in the
23program.
24    (e) To qualify for certification as a certified family
25health aide, a legally responsible family caregiver or family
26member must at a minimum:

 

 

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1        (1) be at least 18 years of age or older; and
2        (2) have satisfactorily completed
3    participant-specific training and received a sign-off
4    indicating competency in the provision of care from a
5    supervising medical team and participating agency.
6    A certified family health aide may only provide care to
7the specific family member for whom the certified family
8health aide is trained to provide care. The certified family
9health aide may provide private duty nursing services to that
10family member if the certified family health aide is the only
11family member present in the home at the time of service
12delivery. Certified family health aides may not provide
13services to persons other than family members who are eligible
14for medical assistance under the Early and Periodic Screening,
15Diagnostic and Treatment benefit or through any home and
16community-based services waiver program for medically fragile
17and technology dependent children. Certified family health
18aides may not provide services in any health care setting
19other than a home nursing model.
20    (f) The reimbursement rate for home health agencies, home
21nursing agencies, and home services agencies that provide
22certified family health aide services shall be no lower than
23$40.00 an hour.
24    (g) Beginning 30 days after the effective date of this
25amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly and until the
26Certified Family Health Aide Program is implemented, the

 

 

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1Department shall meet and work with home health agencies, home
2nursing agencies, and home services agencies on a monthly
3basis during the development and implementation phase of the
4program.
5    (h) No later than 3 years after the implementation date of
6the program, the Department shall prepare and submit a report
7to the Governor and the General Assembly concerning the
8viability of the program and the Director's recommendations
9concerning the program. The Department shall use its data and
10not that of any home health agency, home nursing agency, or
11home services agency participating in the program.
12    (i) The Department shall permanently establish a committee
13and meet together at least quarterly with home health
14agencies, home nursing agencies, and home services agencies,
15family health aides and their families, and other members of
16the public to make comments or ask questions regarding the
17private duty nursing benefit servicing program participants
18under the State Plan's Early and Periodic Screening,
19Diagnostic, and Treatment program or the Medically Fragile,
20Technology Dependent waiver.
 
21    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
22becoming law.