(20 ILCS 105/8.13)

(This Section may contain text from a Public Act with a delayed effective date)

Sec. 8.13. Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Pilot Program.

(a) Subject to additional appropriations, the Department shall establish and administer a Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Pilot Program to operate in Will County beginning January 1, 2024 through January 1, 2027. The pilot program shall require the Senior Services Center of Will County to designate a staff member to serve as an intake coordinator for Will County who shall help connect grandparents raising grandchildren to existing relevant services and resources provided by the various State agencies, including, but not limited to, services and resources provided by the Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of Human Services, the Department on Aging, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, and the State Board of Education. The intake coordinator shall provide services at local senior services centers in Will County that are operated by the Senior Services Center of Will County and shall work with the Department on Aging to create a public awareness campaign on the services and resources offered by each of the agencies. The intake coordinator shall maintain records regarding the number of families who received referrals, the specific services each family was referred to and received, and the frequency of calls and visits. The intake coordinator selected by the Senior Services Center of Will County must be knowledgeable on the following programs:

(1) The Extended Family Support Program administered by the Department of Children and Family Services.

(2) The Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Program administered by the Department on Aging.

(3) The Child Only Grants assistance component of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program administered by the Department of Human Services.

(4) The Children Health Insurance Program administered by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services.

(b) The intake coordinator must be given the contact information for the designated point of contact for each State agency listed in subsection (a). Each State agency's designated point of contact shall provide educational materials and training on the different programs provided by the State agency. The intake coordinator may receive this information within 14 days after his or her selection by the Senior Services Center of Will County in accordance with this Section.

(c) By January 1 of each year beginning in 2025 until the pilot program terminates, the Department on Aging shall submit an annual report to the General Assembly on the number of families who received referrals to relevant services from the intake coordinator during the prior calendar year, the specific services each family was referred to and received, and other related information on the frequency of calls and visits to the office of the intake coordinator during the reporting period.

(Source: P.A. 103-411, eff. 1-1-24.)