State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

   [ Search ]   [ PDF text ]   [ Legislation ]   
[ Home ]   [ Back ]   [ Bottom ]


[ Introduced ]


92_HB6040eng

 
HB6040 Engrossed                              LRB9214424AGmbA

 1        AN ACT concerning senior health assistance.

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

 4        Section  5.   The Illinois Act on the Aging is amended by
 5    changing Section 4.01 as follows:

 6        (20 ILCS 105/4.01) (from Ch. 23, par. 6104.01)
 7        Sec.  4.01.  Additional  powers   and   duties   of   the
 8    Department.   In  addition  to  powers  and  duties otherwise
 9    provided by law, the  Department  shall  have  the  following
10    powers and duties:
11        (1)  To  evaluate  all programs, services, and facilities
12    for the aged and for  minority  senior  citizens  within  the
13    State  and  determine  the  extent to which present public or
14    private programs, services and facilities meet the  needs  of
15    the aged.
16        (2)  To  coordinate  and evaluate all programs, services,
17    and facilities for the Aging and for minority senior citizens
18    presently furnished by State agencies  and  make  appropriate
19    recommendations   regarding   such   services,  programs  and
20    facilities to the Governor and/or the General Assembly.
21        (3)  To function as the sole State agency  to  develop  a
22    comprehensive  plan  to  meet the needs of the State's senior
23    citizens and the State's minority senior citizens.
24        (4)  To receive and disburse State and federal funds made
25    available directly to the Department  including  those  funds
26    made  available  under the Older Americans Act and the Senior
27    Community Service Employment Program for  providing  services
28    for  senior  citizens  and  minority  senior  citizens or for
29    purposes related thereto, and shall  develop  and  administer
30    any State Plan for the Aging required by federal law.
31        (5)  To  solicit,  accept, hold, and administer in behalf
 
HB6040 Engrossed            -2-               LRB9214424AGmbA
 1    of the State any grants or legacies of money, securities,  or
 2    property  to  the  State  of  Illinois for services to senior
 3    citizens and minority senior  citizens  or  purposes  related
 4    thereto.
 5        (6)  To    provide   consultation   and   assistance   to
 6    communities, area agencies on aging,  and  groups  developing
 7    local  services  for  senior  citizens  and  minority  senior
 8    citizens.
 9        (7)  To   promote   community   education  regarding  the
10    problems of senior  citizens  and  minority  senior  citizens
11    through  institutes,  publications, radio, television and the
12    local press.
13        (8)  To cooperate with agencies of the federal government
14    in studies and conferences designed to examine the  needs  of
15    senior  citizens  and minority senior citizens and to prepare
16    programs and facilities to meet those needs.
17        (9)  To establish and maintain information  and  referral
18    sources  throughout  the  State  when  not  provided by other
19    agencies.
20        (10)  To provide the staff support as may  reasonably  be
21    required  by  the  Council  and the Coordinating Committee of
22    State Agencies Serving Older Persons.
23        (11)  To make and enforce rules and regulations necessary
24    and proper to the performance of its duties.
25        (12)  To establish  and  fund  programs  or  projects  or
26    experimental   facilities  that  are  specially  designed  as
27    alternatives to institutional care.
28        (13)  To  develop  a  training  program  to   train   the
29    counselors  presently  employed  by  the  Department's  aging
30    network to provide Medicare beneficiaries with counseling and
31    advocacy  in  Medicare, private health insurance, and related
32    health care coverage plans.  The Department shall  report  to
33    the  General  Assembly  on the implementation of the training
34    program on or before December 1, 1986.
 
HB6040 Engrossed            -3-               LRB9214424AGmbA
 1        (14)  To  make  a  grant  to  an  institution  of  higher
 2    learning  to  study  the  feasibility  of  establishing   and
 3    implementing  an  affirmative  action employment plan for the
 4    recruitment, hiring, training and retraining of persons 60 or
 5    more years old for jobs for which their employment would  not
 6    be precluded by law.
 7        (15)  To  present  one  award  annually  in  each  of the
 8    categories of community service, education,  the  performance
 9    and graphic arts, and the labor force to outstanding Illinois
10    senior  citizens  and minority senior citizens in recognition
11    of  their  individual  contributions  to   either   community
12    service,  education, the performance and graphic arts, or the
13    labor force.  The awards shall be presented  to  four  senior
14    citizens and minority senior citizens selected from a list of
15    44 nominees compiled annually by the Department.  Nominations
16    shall  be  solicited from senior citizens' service providers,
17    area agencies on aging, senior citizens' centers, and  senior
18    citizens'  organizations.  The  Department shall consult with
19    the Coordinating Committee of State  Agencies  Serving  Older
20    Persons  to  determine  which  of  the  nominees shall be the
21    recipient  in  each  category  of  community  service.    The
22    Department  shall  establish  a  central  location within the
23    State to be designated as the Senior Illinoisans Hall of Fame
24    for the public display of all the annual awards, or  replicas
25    thereof.
26        (16)  To  establish  multipurpose  senior centers through
27    area agencies on aging and to fund  those  new  and  existing
28    multipurpose  senior  centers through area agencies on aging,
29    the establishment and funding to begin in such areas  of  the
30    State  as  the  Department  shall  designate  by  rule and as
31    specifically appropriated funds become available.
32        (17)  To  develop  the  content   and   format   of   the
33    acknowledgment  regarding non-recourse reverse mortgage loans
34    under Section 6.1 of the Illinois  Banking  Act;  to  provide
 
HB6040 Engrossed            -4-               LRB9214424AGmbA
 1    independent  consumer  information  on  reverse mortgages and
 2    alternatives;  and  to   refer   consumers   to   independent
 3    counseling services with expertise in reverse mortgages.
 4        (18)  To  develop a pamphlet in English and Spanish which
 5    may be used by physicians licensed to  practice  medicine  in
 6    all  of  its branches pursuant to the Medical Practice Act of
 7    1987, pharmacists licensed pursuant to the Pharmacy  Practice
 8    Act  of 1987, and Illinois residents 65 years of age or older
 9    for the purpose of  assisting  physicians,  pharmacists,  and
10    patients  in  monitoring  prescriptions  provided  by various
11    physicians and to aid persons 65 years of  age  or  older  in
12    complying  with  directions  for proper use of pharmaceutical
13    prescriptions.  The pamphlet may provide space for  recording
14    information including but not limited to the following:
15             (a)  name and telephone number of the patient;
16             (b)  name  and  telephone  number of the prescribing
17        physician;
18             (c)  date of prescription;
19             (d)  name of drug prescribed;
20             (e)   directions for patient compliance; and
21             (f)  name  and  telephone   number   of   dispensing
22        pharmacy.
23        In  developing the pamphlet, the Department shall consult
24    with the Illinois  State  Medical  Society,  the  Center  for
25    Minority    Health   Services,   the   Illinois   Pharmacists
26    Association   and   senior   citizens   organizations.    The
27    Department shall  distribute  the  pamphlets  to  physicians,
28    pharmacists  and  persons 65 years of age or older or various
29    senior citizen organizations throughout the State.
30        (19)  To  conduct  a  study  by  April  1,  1994  of  the
31    feasibility of  implementing  the  Senior  Companion  Program
32    throughout  the  State  for the fiscal year beginning July 1,
33    1994.
34        (20)  With respect to contracts  in  effect  on  July  1,
 
HB6040 Engrossed            -5-               LRB9214424AGmbA
 1    1994, the Department shall increase the grant amounts so that
 2    the  reimbursement  rates  paid  through  the  community care
 3    program for chore housekeeping services and homemakers are at
 4    the same rate, which shall be  the  higher  of  the  2  rates
 5    currently  paid.  With respect to all contracts entered into,
 6    renewed,  or  extended  on  or  after  July  1,   1994,   the
 7    reimbursement  rates  paid through the community care program
 8    for chore housekeeping services and homemakers shall  be  the
 9    same.
10        (21)  From  funds appropriated to the Department from the
11    Meals on Wheels Fund, a special fund in  the  State  treasury
12    that  is  hereby  created,  and  in accordance with State and
13    federal guidelines and the  intrastate  funding  formula,  to
14    make  grants  to  area  agencies  on aging, designated by the
15    Department, for the  sole  purpose  of  delivering  meals  to
16    homebound persons 60 years of age and older.
17        (22)  To  distribute, through its area agencies on aging,
18    information  alerting  seniors  on  safety  issues  regarding
19    emergency weather  conditions,  including  extreme  heat  and
20    cold,  flooding,  tornadoes,  electrical  storms,  and  other
21    severe  storm  weather.   The  information  shall include all
22    necessary instructions for safety and all emergency telephone
23    numbers  of  organizations  that  will   provide   additional
24    information and assistance.
25        (23)  To  develop  guidelines  for  the  organization and
26    implementation of Volunteer Services Credit  Programs  to  be
27    administered  by  Area  Agencies  on Aging or community based
28    senior service  organizations.   The  Department  shall  hold
29    public   hearings  on  the  proposed  guidelines  for  public
30    comment, suggestion, and determination  of  public  interest.
31    The guidelines shall be based on the findings of other states
32    and of community organizations in Illinois that are currently
33    operating volunteer services credit programs or demonstration
34    volunteer  services  credit  programs.   The Department shall
 
HB6040 Engrossed            -6-               LRB9214424AGmbA
 1    offer guidelines for all aspects of the  programs  including,
 2    but not limited to, the following:
 3             (a)  types of services to be offered by volunteers;
 4             (b)  types  of  services  to  be  received  upon the
 5        redemption of service credits;
 6             (c)  issues of liability for the volunteers and  the
 7        administering organizations;
 8             (d)  methods  of tracking service credits earned and
 9        service credits redeemed;
10             (e)  issues of time limits for redemption of service
11        credits;
12             (f)  methods of recruitment of volunteers;
13             (g)  utilization of community volunteers,  community
14        service   groups,  and  other  resources  for  delivering
15        services  to  be  received  by  service  credit   program
16        clients;
17             (h)  accountability and assurance that services will
18        be  available  to  individuals  who  have  earned service
19        credits; and
20             (i)  volunteer screening and qualifications.
21    The Department shall submit a written copy of the  guidelines
22    to the General Assembly by July 1, 1998.
23        (24)  Senior  Health  Assistance  Outreach  Program.  The
24    Department shall, with funds appropriated to  the  Department
25    for  this  specific  purpose,  establish  a  statewide senior
26    health assistance outreach  program.   The  Department  shall
27    work  cooperatively  with  other Departments that fund senior
28    health assistance,  including  assistance  with  prescription
29    drugs,  to insure maximum coordination.  The Department shall
30    by rule determine the allocation of all  funds  received  for
31    this purpose. The statewide senior health assistance outreach
32    program  shall  include a one-stop-shopping clearinghouse for
33    all information regarding prescription drug coverage programs
34    and other health assistance benefits available to seniors  in
 
HB6040 Engrossed            -7-               LRB9214424AGmbA
 1    Illinois.  The clearinghouse shall be operated in conjunction
 2    with  the  Department's toll free senior information program.
 3    All  clearinghouse  personnel  shall  receive   training   on
 4    prescription  drug  assistance  programs  in  addition to any
 5    other training provided.
 6    (Source: P.A.  89-249,  eff.  8-4-95;  89-580,  eff.  1-1-97;
 7    90-251, eff. 1-1-98; revised 12-07-01.)

 8        Section  99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect upon
 9    becoming law.

[ Top ]