Public Act 1043 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB2328 Enrolled LRB094 17610 DRJ 52908 b

Public Act 094-1043

AN ACT concerning public aid.

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

Section 2. The Department of Human Services Act is amended by adding Section 10-50 as follows:

(20 ILCS 1305/10-50 new)

Sec. 10-50. Illinois Steps for Attaining Higher Education through Academic Development Program established. The Illinois Steps for Attaining Higher Education through Academic Development ("Illinois Steps AHEAD") program is established in the Illinois Department of Human Services. Illinois Steps AHEAD shall provide educational services and post-secondary educational scholarships for low-income middle and high school students. Program components shall include increased parent involvement, creative and engaging academic support for students, career exploration programs, college preparation, and increased collaboration with local schools. The Illinois Department of Human Services shall administer the program. The Department shall implement the program only if federal funding is made available for that purpose. All moneys received pursuant to the federal Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs shall be deposited into the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs Fund, a special fund hereby created in the State treasury. Moneys in this fund shall be appropriated to the Department of Human Services and expended for the purposes and activities specified by the federal agency making the grant. All interest earnings on amounts in the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs Fund shall accrue to the Gaining Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs Fund and be used in accordance with 34 C.F.R. 75.703.

Section 3. The State Finance Act is amended by adding Section 5.663 as follows:

(30 ILCS 105/5.663 new)

Sec. 5.663. The Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs Fund.

Section 5. The Illinois Public Aid Code is amended by changing Section 5-2 and adding Section 12-4.103a as follows:

(305 ILCS 5/5-2) (from Ch. 23, par. 5-2)

Sec. 5-2. Classes of Persons Eligible. Medical assistance under this Article shall be available to any of the following classes of persons in respect to whom a plan for coverage has been submitted to the Governor by the Illinois Department and approved by him:

1. Recipients of basic maintenance grants under Articles III and IV.

2. Persons otherwise eligible for basic maintenance under Articles III and IV but who fail to qualify thereunder on the basis of need, and who have insufficient income and resources to meet the costs of necessary medical care, including but not limited to the following:

(a) All persons otherwise eligible for basic maintenance under Article III but who fail to qualify under that Article on the basis of need and who meet either of the following requirements:

(i) their income, as determined by the Illinois Department in accordance with any federal requirements, is equal to or less than 70% in fiscal year 2001, equal to or less than 85% in fiscal year 2002 and until a date to be determined by the Department by rule, and equal to or less than 100% beginning on the date determined by the Department by rule, of the nonfarm income official poverty line, as defined by the federal Office of Management and Budget and revised annually in accordance with Section 673(2) of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981, applicable to families of the same size; or

(ii) their income, after the deduction of costs incurred for medical care and for other types of remedial care, is equal to or less than 70% in fiscal year 2001, equal to or less than 85% in fiscal year 2002 and until a date to be determined by the Department by rule, and equal to or less than 100% beginning on the date determined by the Department by rule, of the nonfarm income official poverty line, as defined in item (i) of this subparagraph (a).

(b) All persons who would be determined eligible for such basic maintenance under Article IV by disregarding the maximum earned income permitted by federal law.

3. Persons who would otherwise qualify for Aid to the Medically Indigent under Article VII.

4. Persons not eligible under any of the preceding paragraphs who fall sick, are injured, or die, not having sufficient money, property or other resources to meet the costs of necessary medical care or funeral and burial expenses.

5.(a) Women during pregnancy, after the fact of pregnancy has been determined by medical diagnosis, and during the 60-day period beginning on the last day of the pregnancy, together with their infants and children born after September 30, 1983, whose income and resources are insufficient to meet the costs of necessary medical care to the maximum extent possible under Title XIX of the Federal Social Security Act.

(b) The Illinois Department and the Governor shall provide a plan for coverage of the persons eligible under paragraph 5(a) by April 1, 1990. Such plan shall provide ambulatory prenatal care to pregnant women during a presumptive eligibility period and establish an income eligibility standard that is equal to 133% of the nonfarm income official poverty line, as defined by the federal Office of Management and Budget and revised annually in accordance with Section 673(2) of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981, applicable to families of the same size, provided that costs incurred for medical care are not taken into account in determining such income eligibility.

(c) The Illinois Department may conduct a demonstration in at least one county that will provide medical assistance to pregnant women, together with their infants and children up to one year of age, where the income eligibility standard is set up to 185% of the nonfarm income official poverty line, as defined by the federal Office of Management and Budget. The Illinois Department shall seek and obtain necessary authorization provided under federal law to implement such a demonstration. Such demonstration may establish resource standards that are not more restrictive than those established under Article IV of this Code.

6. Persons under the age of 18 who fail to qualify as dependent under Article IV and who have insufficient income and resources to meet the costs of necessary medical care to the maximum extent permitted under Title XIX of the Federal Social Security Act.

7. Persons who are under 21 years of age and would qualify as disabled as defined under the Federal Supplemental Security Income Program, provided medical service for such persons would be eligible for Federal Financial Participation, and provided the Illinois Department determines that:

(a) the person requires a level of care provided by a hospital, skilled nursing facility, or intermediate care facility, as determined by a physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches;

(b) it is appropriate to provide such care outside of an institution, as determined by a physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches;

(c) the estimated amount which would be expended for care outside the institution is not greater than the estimated amount which would be expended in an institution.

8. Persons who become ineligible for basic maintenance assistance under Article IV of this Code in programs administered by the Illinois Department due to employment earnings and persons in assistance units comprised of adults and children who become ineligible for basic maintenance assistance under Article VI of this Code due to employment earnings. The plan for coverage for this class of persons shall:

(a) extend the medical assistance coverage for up to 12 months following termination of basic maintenance assistance; and

(b) offer persons who have initially received 6 months of the coverage provided in paragraph (a) above, the option of receiving an additional 6 months of coverage, subject to the following:

(i) such coverage shall be pursuant to provisions of the federal Social Security Act;

(ii) such coverage shall include all services covered while the person was eligible for basic maintenance assistance;

(iii) no premium shall be charged for such coverage; and

(iv) such coverage shall be suspended in the event of a person's failure without good cause to file in a timely fashion reports required for this coverage under the Social Security Act and coverage shall be reinstated upon the filing of such reports if the person remains otherwise eligible.

9. Persons with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) or with AIDS-related conditions with respect to whom there has been a determination that but for home or community-based services such individuals would require the level of care provided in an inpatient hospital, skilled nursing facility or intermediate care facility the cost of which is reimbursed under this Article. Assistance shall be provided to such persons to the maximum extent permitted under Title XIX of the Federal Social Security Act.

10. Participants in the long-term care insurance partnership program established under the Partnership for Long-Term Care Act who meet the qualifications for protection of resources described in Section 25 of that Act.

11. Persons with disabilities who are employed and eligible for Medicaid, pursuant to Section 1902(a)(10)(A)(ii)(xv) of the Social Security Act, as provided by the Illinois Department by rule.

12. Subject to federal approval, persons who are eligible for medical assistance coverage under applicable provisions of the federal Social Security Act and the federal Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act of 2000. Those eligible persons are defined to include, but not be limited to, the following persons:

(1) persons who have been screened for breast or cervical cancer under the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Breast and Cervical Cancer Program established under Title XV of the federal Public Health Services Act in accordance with the requirements of Section 1504 of that Act as administered by the Illinois Department of Public Health; and

(2) persons whose screenings under the above program were funded in whole or in part by funds appropriated to the Illinois Department of Public Health for breast or cervical cancer screening.

"Medical assistance" under this paragraph 12 shall be identical to the benefits provided under the State's approved plan under Title XIX of the Social Security Act. The Department must request federal approval of the coverage under this paragraph 12 within 30 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 92nd General Assembly.

13. Subject to appropriation and to federal approval, persons living with HIV/AIDS who are not otherwise eligible under this Article and who qualify for services covered under Section 5-5.04 as provided by the Illinois Department by rule.

14. Subject to the availability of funds for this purpose, the Department may provide coverage under this Article to persons who reside in Illinois who are not eligible under any of the preceding paragraphs and who meet the income guidelines of paragraph 2(a) of this Section and (i) have an application for asylum pending before the federal Department of Homeland Security or on appeal before a court of competent jurisdiction and are represented either by counsel or by an advocate accredited by the federal Department of Homeland Security and employed by a not-for-profit organization in regard to that application or appeal, or (ii) are receiving services through a federally funded torture treatment center. Medical coverage under this paragraph 14 may be provided for up to 24 continuous months from the initial eligibility date so long as an individual continues to satisfy the criteria of this paragraph 14. If an individual has an appeal pending regarding an application for asylum before the Department of Homeland Security, eligibility under this paragraph 14 may be extended until a final decision is rendered on the appeal. The Department may adopt rules governing the implementation of this paragraph 14.

The Illinois Department and the Governor shall provide a plan for coverage of the persons eligible under paragraph 7 as soon as possible after July 1, 1984.

The eligibility of any such person for medical assistance under this Article is not affected by the payment of any grant under the Senior Citizens and Disabled Persons Property Tax Relief and Pharmaceutical Assistance Act or any distributions or items of income described under subparagraph (X) of paragraph (2) of subsection (a) of Section 203 of the Illinois Income Tax Act. The Department shall by rule establish the amounts of assets to be disregarded in determining eligibility for medical assistance, which shall at a minimum equal the amounts to be disregarded under the Federal Supplemental Security Income Program. The amount of assets of a single person to be disregarded shall not be less than $2,000, and the amount of assets of a married couple to be disregarded shall not be less than $3,000.

To the extent permitted under federal law, any person found guilty of a second violation of Article VIIIA shall be ineligible for medical assistance under this Article, as provided in Section 8A-8.

The eligibility of any person for medical assistance under this Article shall not be affected by the receipt by the person of donations or benefits from fundraisers held for the person in cases of serious illness, as long as neither the person nor members of the person's family have actual control over the donations or benefits or the disbursement of the donations or benefits.

(Source: P.A. 93-20, eff. 6-20-03; 94-629, eff. 1-1-06.)

(305 ILCS 5/12-4.103a new)

Sec. 12-4.103a. Assets for Independence Program.

(a) Program established. Subject to available funding and receipt of a federal Assets for Independence grant award, the Department of Human Services shall establish and administer an Assets for Independence Program (Program). The Program shall be established in accordance with the terms of the Assets for Independence Act (AFIA) as now and hereafter amended (Title IV Community Opportunities, Accountability, and Training and Educational Services Act as amended, Public Law 105-285, 42 U.S.C. 604 note).

(b) Assets for Independence Fund. The Assets for Independence Fund is established. The Fund shall be held by the Secretary or his or her designee as ex-officio custodian thereof separate and apart from all other State funds. The Assets for Independence Fund is authorized to receive grants under AFIA, State moneys appropriated for the Program, and moneys from voluntary donations from individuals, foundations, corporations, and other sources. Moneys in the Assets for Independence Fund shall not be commingled with other State funds, but they shall be deposited as required by law and maintained in a separate account on the books of a savings and loan association, bank, or other qualified financial institution. All interest earnings on amounts within the Assets for Independence Fund shall accrue to the Assets for Independence Fund and shall be used in accordance with the terms of the AFIA. Administrative expenses related to the Program, including the provision of financial education to Program participants, shall be paid from the Assets for Independence Fund in accordance with the terms of AFIA Section 707(c)(3).

(c) Program purpose. The purpose of the Program is to allow eligible low-income Illinois citizens, subject to the availability of State and federal funds and authorization from the Department, to open and maintain an Individual Development Account (IDA) at a federally insured financial institution. Deposits into an IDA that are used for subsequent qualified purchases shall be matched dollar-for-dollar by moneys from the Assets for Independence Fund. Not more than $2,000 of moneys from the Assets for Independence Fund shall be provided to any one individual. Not more than $4,000 of moneys from the Assets for Independence Fund shall be provided to any one household. Assets for Independence Fund moneys not being used to administer the Program shall be used only for qualified purchases, shall be distributed only directly to the vendor of a qualified purchase, and shall require the authorization by signature of the Department's chief financial officer.

(d) Contributions to IDA and use of moneys. An individual may make contributions to his or her IDA only from earned income as defined in Section 911(d)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. The moneys deposited into an IDA shall not be commingled with any Assets for Independence Fund moneys. An IDA holder shall have a 36-month period, beginning on the date the Department authorizes the holder to open the IDA, within which to make a qualified purchase. If a qualified purchase is not made within that 36-month period, Assets for Independence Fund moneys earmarked for that individual shall be released, and the Department shall authorize another eligible person to open an IDA. Under no circumstances, and at no time, shall an IDA holder lose the ability to withdraw moneys from his or her IDA.

(e) Qualified purchases. A qualified asset purchase using moneys from an IDA shall be defined in accordance with AFIA Section 404(8) and shall be one or more of the following:

(1) Payment of post-secondary education expenses, if the expenses are paid directly to an eligible educational institution.

(2) Acquisition of a principal residence, if the individual is buying a home for the first time and if the funds are paid directly to the person to whom the amounts required for the purchase are due.

(3) Financing of business capitalization expenses, if the funds are paid directly into a business capitalization account at a federally insured financial institution and are restricted to use solely for qualified business capitalization expenses.

(f) Program eligibility. Program eligibility shall be established by the Department in accordance with AFIA Section 408. Persons eligible to open an IDA and to receive Assets for Independence Fund moneys are Illinois citizens currently residing in Illinois who are (i) able to demonstrate that they are currently eligible for assistance under the State's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program or (ii) able to demonstrate that the adjusted gross income of their household in the calendar year preceding the determination of eligibility was equal to or less than 200% of the poverty line, as determined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget. An individual must further demonstrate that the net worth of his or her household, as of the end of the calendar year preceding the determination of eligibility, does not exceed $10,000, as determined by AFIA Section 408(2)(B). Notwithstanding any other provision of State law, moneys in an Individual Development Account, including accrued interest and matching deposits, shall be disregarded for the purpose of determining the eligibility and benefit levels under this Code in the case of the individual establishing the IDA with respect to any period during which the individual maintains or makes contributions into the IDA. The Department shall approve an individual to open an IDA at a federally insured financial institution upon determining, based on the individual's application, that all eligibility criteria are met and subject to the availability of $2,000 in Assets for Independence Fund moneys.

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

Effective Date: 7/24/2006