Public Act 098-0073
 
SB0047 EnrolledLRB098 01531 KTG 31535 b

    AN ACT concerning public aid.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Illinois Public Aid Code is amended by
changing Section 11-22 as follows:
 
    (305 ILCS 5/11-22)  (from Ch. 23, par. 11-22)
    Sec. 11-22. Charge upon claims and causes of action for
injuries. The Illinois Department shall have a charge upon all
claims, demands and causes of action for injuries to an
applicant for or recipient of (i) financial aid under Articles
III, IV, and V, (ii) health care benefits provided under the
Covering ALL KIDS Health Insurance Act, or (iii) health care
benefits provided under the Veterans' Health Insurance Program
Act or the Veterans' Health Insurance Program Act of 2008 for
the total amount of medical assistance provided the recipient
from the time of injury to the date of recovery upon such
claim, demand or cause of action. In addition, if the applicant
or recipient was employable, as defined by the Department, at
the time of the injury, the Department shall also have a charge
upon any such claims, demands and causes of action for the
total amount of aid provided to the recipient and his
dependents, including all cash assistance and medical
assistance only to the extent includable in the claimant's
action, from the time of injury to the date of recovery upon
such claim, demand or cause of action. Any definition of
"employable" adopted by the Department shall apply only to
persons above the age of compulsory school attendance.
    If the injured person was employable at the time of the
injury and is provided aid under Articles III, IV, or V and any
dependent or member of his family is provided aid under Article
VI, or vice versa, both the Illinois Department and the local
governmental unit shall have a charge upon such claims, demands
and causes of action for the aid provided to the injured person
and any dependent member of his family, including all cash
assistance, medical assistance and food stamps, from the time
of the injury to the date of recovery.
    "Recipient", as used herein, means (i) in the case of
financial aid provided under this Code, the grantee of record
and any persons whose needs are included in the financial aid
provided to the grantee of record or otherwise met by grants
under the appropriate Article of this Code for which such
person is eligible, (ii) in the case of health care benefits
provided under the Covering ALL KIDS Health Insurance Act, the
child to whom those benefits are provided, and (iii) in the
case of health care benefits provided under the Veterans'
Health Insurance Program Act or the Veterans' Health Insurance
Program Act of 2008, the veteran to whom benefits are provided.
    In each case, the notice shall be served by certified mail
or registered mail, or by facsimile or electronic messaging
when requested by the party or parties against whom the
applicant or recipient has a claim, demand, or cause of action,
upon the party or parties against whom the applicant or
recipient has a claim, demand or cause of action. The notice
shall claim the charge and describe the interest the Illinois
Department, the local governmental unit, or the county, has in
the claim, demand, or cause of action. The charge shall attach
to any verdict or judgment entered and to any money or property
which may be recovered on account of such claim, demand, cause
of action or suit from and after the time of the service of the
notice.
    On petition filed by the Illinois Department, or by the
local governmental unit or county if either is claiming a
charge, or by the recipient, or by the defendant, the court, on
written notice to all interested parties, may adjudicate the
rights of the parties and enforce the charge. The court may
approve the settlement of any claim, demand or cause of action
either before or after a verdict, and nothing in this Section
shall be construed as requiring the actual trial or final
adjudication of any claim, demand or cause of action upon which
the Illinois Department, the local governmental unit or county
has charge. The court may determine what portion of the
recovery shall be paid to the injured person and what portion
shall be paid to the Illinois Department, the local
governmental unit or county having a charge against the
recovery. In making this determination, the court shall conduct
an evidentiary hearing and shall consider competent evidence
pertaining to the following matters:
        (1) the amount of the charge sought to be enforced
    against the recovery when expressed as a percentage of the
    gross amount of the recovery; the amount of the charge
    sought to be enforced against the recovery when expressed
    as a percentage of the amount obtained by subtracting from
    the gross amount of the recovery the total attorney's fees
    and other costs incurred by the recipient incident to the
    recovery; and whether the Department, unit of local
    government or county seeking to enforce the charge against
    the recovery should as a matter of fairness and equity bear
    its proportionate share of the fees and costs incurred to
    generate the recovery from which the charge is sought to be
    satisfied;
        (2) the amount, if any, of the attorney's fees and
    other costs incurred by the recipient incident to the
    recovery and paid by the recipient up to the time of
    recovery, and the amount of such fees and costs remaining
    unpaid at the time of recovery;
        (3) the total hospital, doctor and other medical
    expenses incurred for care and treatment of the injury to
    the date of recovery therefor, the portion of such expenses
    theretofore paid by the recipient, by insurance provided by
    the recipient, and by the Department, unit of local
    government and county seeking to enforce a charge against
    the recovery, and the amount of such previously incurred
    expenses which remain unpaid at the time of recovery and by
    whom such incurred, unpaid expenses are to be paid;
        (4) whether the recovery represents less than
    substantially full recompense for the injury and the
    hospital, doctor and other medical expenses incurred to the
    date of recovery for the care and treatment of the injury,
    so that reduction of the charge sought to be enforced
    against the recovery would not likely result in a double
    recovery or unjust enrichment to the recipient;
        (5) the age of the recipient and of persons dependent
    for support upon the recipient, the nature and permanency
    of the recipient's injuries as they affect not only the
    future employability and education of the recipient but
    also the reasonably necessary and foreseeable future
    material, maintenance, medical, rehabilitative and
    training needs of the recipient, the cost of such
    reasonably necessary and foreseeable future needs, and the
    resources available to meet such needs and pay such costs;
        (6) the realistic ability of the recipient to repay in
    whole or in part the charge sought to be enforced against
    the recovery when judged in light of the factors enumerated
    above.
    The burden of producing evidence sufficient to support the
exercise by the court of its discretion to reduce the amount of
a proven charge sought to be enforced against the recovery
shall rest with the party seeking such reduction.
    The court may reduce and apportion the Illinois
Department's lien proportionate to the recovery of the
claimant. The court may consider the nature and extent of the
injury, economic and noneconomic loss, settlement offers,
comparative negligence as it applies to the case at hand,
hospital costs, physician costs, and all other appropriate
costs. The Illinois Department shall pay its pro rata share of
the attorney fees based on the Illinois Department's lien as it
compares to the total settlement agreed upon. This Section
shall not affect the priority of an attorney's lien under the
Attorneys Lien Act. The charges of the Illinois Department
described in this Section, however, shall take priority over
all other liens and charges existing under the laws of the
State of Illinois with the exception of the attorney's lien
under said statute.
    Whenever the Department or any unit of local government has
a statutory charge under this Section against a recovery for
damages incurred by a recipient because of its advancement of
any assistance, such charge shall not be satisfied out of any
recovery until the attorney's claim for fees is satisfied,
irrespective of whether or not an action based on recipient's
claim has been filed in court.
    This Section shall be inapplicable to any claim, demand or
cause of action arising under (a) the Workers' Compensation Act
or the predecessor Workers' Compensation Act of June 28, 1913,
(b) the Workers' Occupational Diseases Act or the predecessor
Workers' Occupational Diseases Act of March 16, 1936; and (c)
the Wrongful Death Act.
(Source: P.A. 94-693, eff. 7-1-06; 94-816, eff. 5-30-06;
95-755, eff. 7-25-08.)
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.