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1 | AN ACT concerning employment.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The Public Safety Employee Benefits Act is | |||||||||||||||||||
5 | amended by changing Section 10 as follows:
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6 | (820 ILCS 320/10)
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7 | Sec. 10. Required health coverage benefits.
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8 | (a) An employer who employs a full-time law enforcement, | |||||||||||||||||||
9 | correctional or
correctional probation officer, or | |||||||||||||||||||
10 | firefighter, who, on or after the effective
date of this Act | |||||||||||||||||||
11 | suffers a catastrophic injury or is killed in the line of duty
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12 | shall pay the entire premium of the employer's health insurance | |||||||||||||||||||
13 | plan for the
injured employee, the injured employee's spouse, | |||||||||||||||||||
14 | and for each dependent child
of the injured employee until the | |||||||||||||||||||
15 | child reaches the age of majority or until
the end of the | |||||||||||||||||||
16 | calendar year in which the child reaches the age of 25 if the
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17 | child continues to be dependent for support or the child is a | |||||||||||||||||||
18 | full-time or
part-time student and is dependent for support. | |||||||||||||||||||
19 | The term "health insurance
plan" does not include supplemental | |||||||||||||||||||
20 | benefits that are not part of the basic
group health insurance | |||||||||||||||||||
21 | plan.
If the
injured employee subsequently dies, the employer | |||||||||||||||||||
22 | shall continue to pay the
entire health insurance premium for | |||||||||||||||||||
23 | the surviving spouse until remarried and
for the dependent |
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1 | children under the conditions established in this Section.
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2 | However:
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3 | (1) Health insurance benefits payable from any other | ||||||
4 | source shall reduce
benefits payable under this Section.
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5 | (2) It is unlawful for a person to willfully and | ||||||
6 | knowingly make, or cause
to be made, or to assist, conspire | ||||||
7 | with, or urge another to make, or cause to
be made, any | ||||||
8 | false, fraudulent, or misleading oral or written statement | ||||||
9 | to
obtain health insurance coverage as provided under this | ||||||
10 | Section. A violation
of this item is a Class A misdemeanor.
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11 | (3) Upon conviction for a violation described in item | ||||||
12 | (2), a law
enforcement, correctional or correctional | ||||||
13 | probation officer, or other
beneficiary who receives or | ||||||
14 | seeks to receive health insurance benefits under
this | ||||||
15 | Section shall forfeit the right to receive health insurance | ||||||
16 | benefits and
shall reimburse the employer for all benefits | ||||||
17 | paid due to the fraud or other
prohibited activity. For | ||||||
18 | purposes of this item, "conviction" means a
determination | ||||||
19 | of guilt that is the result of a plea or trial, regardless | ||||||
20 | of
whether adjudication is withheld.
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21 | (b) In order for the law enforcement, correctional or | ||||||
22 | correctional probation
officer, firefighter, spouse, or | ||||||
23 | dependent children to be eligible for
insurance coverage under | ||||||
24 | this Act, the injury or death must have occurred as
the result | ||||||
25 | of the officer's response to fresh pursuit, the officer or
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26 | firefighter's response to what is reasonably believed to be an |
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1 | emergency, an
unlawful act perpetrated by another, or during | ||||||
2 | the investigation of a criminal
act. Nothing in this Section | ||||||
3 | shall be construed to limit health insurance
coverage or | ||||||
4 | pension benefits for which the officer, firefighter, spouse, or
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5 | dependent children may otherwise be eligible.
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6 | (c) As used in this Section, "catastrophic injury" means a | ||||||
7 | grievous or serious injury or impairment of a nature that is | ||||||
8 | sufficient to permanently preclude the injured employee from | ||||||
9 | performing any gainful work. The employer may, at its expense, | ||||||
10 | require an employee seeking benefits under this Act to submit | ||||||
11 | to examination by up to 3 licensed physicians. The | ||||||
12 | determination of whether an employee has suffered a | ||||||
13 | catastrophic injury shall be made by the employer's corporate | ||||||
14 | authorities or such person or persons as may be designated by | ||||||
15 | ordinance adopted by the corporate authorities, whose | ||||||
16 | determination shall be final and subject to judicial review | ||||||
17 | under the Administrative Review Law. The employer shall be | ||||||
18 | deemed a necessary party to any case brought under | ||||||
19 | Administrative Review Law. | ||||||
20 | (Source: P.A. 90-535, eff. 11-14-97.)
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21 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
22 | becoming law.
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