20 ILCS 105/ Illinois Act on the Aging.

    (20 ILCS 105/1) (from Ch. 23, par. 6101)
    Sec. 1.
    This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Illinois Act on the Aging".
(Source: P. A. 78‑242.)

    (20 ILCS 105/2) (from Ch. 23, par. 6102)
    Sec. 2.
    The ability of the constantly increasing number of aged in the State to maintain self‑sufficiency and personal well‑being with the dignity to which their years of labor entitle them and to realize their maximum potential as creative and productive individuals are matters of profound import and concern for all of the people of this State.
    The purposes of this Act are to provide a comprehensive and coordinated service system for the State's aging population, giving high priority to those persons in greatest need; to conduct studies and research into the needs and problems of the aging; and to insure participation by the aging in the planning and operation of all phases of the system.
(Source: P. A. 78‑242.)

    (20 ILCS 105/3) (from Ch. 23, par. 6103)
    Sec. 3. As used in this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, the terms specified in Sections 3.01 through 3.10 have the meanings ascribed to them in those Sections.
(Source: P.A. 88‑254.)

    (20 ILCS 105/3.01) (from Ch. 23, par. 6103.01)
    Sec. 3.01.
    "Department" means the Department on Aging created by this Act.
(Source: P. A. 78‑242.)

    (20 ILCS 105/3.02) (from Ch. 23, par. 6103.02)
    Sec. 3.02.
    "Director" means the Director of the Department.
(Source: P. A. 78‑242.)

    (20 ILCS 105/3.03) (from Ch. 23, par. 6103.03)
    Sec. 3.03.
    "Council" means the Council on Aging created by this Act.
(Source: P. A. 78‑242.)

    (20 ILCS 105/3.04)
    Sec. 3.04. (Repealed).
(Source: P.A. 89‑249, eff. 8‑4‑95. Repealed by P.A. 96‑918, eff. 6‑9‑10.)

    (20 ILCS 105/3.05) (from Ch. 23, par. 6103.05)
    Sec. 3.05.
    "Aged" or "Senior citizen" means a person of 55 years of age or older, or a person nearing the age of 55 for whom opportunities for employment and participation in community life are unavailable or severely limited and who, as a result thereof, has difficulty in maintaining self‑sufficiency and contributing to the life of the community.
(Source: P. A. 78‑242.)

    (20 ILCS 105/3.06) (from Ch. 23, par. 6103.06)
    Sec. 3.06. "Services" means those services designed to provide assistance to the aged such as nutritional programs, facilities improvement, transportation services, senior volunteer programs, senior companion programs, supplementary health services, programs for leisure‑time activities, housing and employment counseling, benefits advocacy, and other informational, referral, and counseling programs to aid the aged in availing themselves of existing public or private services, or other similar social services intended to aid the senior citizen in attaining and maintaining self‑sufficiency, personal well‑being, and maximum participation in community life.
(Source: P.A. 88‑252; 89‑590, eff. 1‑1‑97.)

    (20 ILCS 105/3.07) (from Ch. 23, par. 6103.07)
    Sec. 3.07. "Area agency on aging" means any public or non‑profit private agency in a planning and service area designated by the Department, which is eligible for funds available under the Older Americans Act and other funds made available by the State of Illinois or the federal government.
    Responsibilities of "area agencies" shall include the development of an area plan that provides for the development of a comprehensive and coordinated service delivery system for social and nutrition services needed by older persons and to define the special needs of minority senior citizens in the planning and service area in which the area agency enters into cooperative arrangements with other service planners and providers to:
        (1) Facilitate access to and utilization of all
     existing services;
        (2) Develop social and nutrition services
     effectively and efficiently to meet the needs of older persons; and
        (3) Coordinate existing services to meet the special
     needs and circumstances of minority senior citizens.
(Source: P.A. 88‑254.)

    (20 ILCS 105/3.08) (from Ch. 23, par. 6103.08)
    Sec. 3.08. "Planning and Service Area" means a geographic area of the State that is designated by the Department for the purposes of planning, development, delivery, and overall administration of services under the area plan. Within each planning and service area the Department must designate an area agency on aging. For the purposes of this Section such planning and service areas shall be as follows:
    Area 1, which is comprised of the counties of Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Winnebago, Boone, Carroll, Ogle, DeKalb, Whiteside and Lee;
    Area 2, which is comprised of the counties of McHenry, Lake, Kane, DuPage, Kendall, Will, Grundy and Kankakee;
    Area 3, which is comprised of the counties of Rock Island, Mercer, Henry, Bureau, LaSalle, Putnam, Henderson, Warren, Knox and McDonough;
    Area 4, which is comprised of the counties of Stark, Marshall, Peoria, Woodford, Fulton and Tazewell;
    Area 5, which is comprised of the counties of Livingston, Iroquois, McLean, Ford, DeWitt, Piatt, Champaign, Vermilion, Macon, Moultrie, Douglas, Edgar, Shelby, Coles, Clark and Cumberland;
    Area 6, which is comprised of the counties of Hancock, Schuyler, Adams, Brown, Pike and Calhoun;
    Area 7, which is comprised of the counties of Mason, Logan, Cass, Menard, Scott, Morgan, Sangamon, Christian, Greene, Macoupin, Montgomery and Jersey;
    Area 8, which is comprised of the counties of Madison, Bond, St. Clair, Clinton, Monroe, Washington and Randolph;
    Area 9, which is comprised of the counties of Fayette, Effingham, Marion, Clay and Jefferson;
    Area 10, which is comprised of the counties of Jasper, Crawford, Richland, Lawrence, Wayne, Edwards, Wabash, Hamilton and White;
    Area 11, which is comprised of the counties of Perry, Franklin, Jackson, Williamson, Saline, Gallatin, Union, Johnson, Pope, Hardin, Alexander, Pulaski and Massac;
    Area 12, which is comprised of the City of Chicago in Cook County; and
    Area 13, which is comprised of the County of Cook outside the City of Chicago.
    At the discretion of the Department and the county, a county of 500,000 population or more may form its own area agency.
(Source: P.A. 82‑979.)

    (20 ILCS 105/3.09) (from Ch. 23, par. 6103.09)
    Sec. 3.09. "Multipurpose senior center" means a community facility for the organization and provision of a broad spectrum of services, including but not limited to provision of health, social, nutritional and educational services and provision of facilities for recreational activities for senior citizens.
(Source: P.A. 86‑1482.)

    (20 ILCS 105/3.10)
    Sec. 3.10. "Minority senior citizen" means any person 55 years of age or older for whom opportunities for employment and participation in community life are unavailable or severely limited and who are:
        (1) African‑American (a person having origins in any
     of the black racial groups in Africa);
        (2) Hispanic (a person of Spanish or Portuguese
     culture with origins in Mexico, South or Central America, or the Caribbean Islands, regardless of race);
        (3) Asian American (a person having origins in any
     of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent or the Pacific Islands); or
        (4) American Indian or Alaskan Native (a person
     having origins in any of the original peoples of North America).
(Source: P.A. 88‑254.)

    (20 ILCS 105/4) (from Ch. 23, par. 6104)
    Sec. 4.
    There is created the Department on Aging. The Director of the Department on Aging, in conjunction with the Director of the Department of Public Aid shall prepare and implement a plan to transfer all personnel, materials, books, records, appropriations and equipment related to "Services to Older People" in the Department of Public Aid as described in Article VIII of, "The Illinois Public Aid Code", to the Department on Aging by the effective date of this Act. The Department on Aging shall administer programs related to "Services to Older People", described in Article VIII of, "The Illinois Public Aid Code", on the effective date of this Act.
    Upon the effective date of this Act, the Department on Aging shall be the single State agency for receiving and disbursing federal funds made available under the "Older Americans Act".
(Source: P. A. 78‑242.)

    (20 ILCS 105/4.01)(from Ch. 23, par. 6104.01)
    Sec. 4.01. Additional powers and duties of the Department. In addition to powers and duties otherwise provided by law, the Department shall have the following powers and duties:
    (1) To evaluate all programs, services, and facilities for the aged and for minority senior citizens within the State and determine the extent to which present public or private programs, services and facilities meet the needs of the aged.
    (2) To coordinate and evaluate all programs, services, and facilities for the Aging and for minority senior citizens presently furnished by State agencies and make appropriate recommendations regarding such services, programs and facilities to the Governor and/or the General Assembly.
    (3) To function as the sole State agency to develop a comprehensive plan to meet the needs of the State's senior citizens and the State's minority senior citizens.
    (4) To receive and disburse State and federal funds made available directly to the Department including those funds made available under the Older Americans Act and the Senior Community Service Employment Program for providing services for senior citizens and minority senior citizens or for purposes related thereto, and shall develop and administer any State Plan for the Aging required by federal law.
    (5) To solicit, accept, hold, and administer in behalf of the State any grants or legacies of money, securities, or property to the State of Illinois for services to senior citizens and minority senior citizens or purposes related thereto.
    (6) To provide consultation and assistance to communities, area agencies on aging, and groups developing local services for senior citizens and minority senior citizens.
    (7) To promote community education regarding the problems of senior citizens and minority senior citizens through institutes, publications, radio, television and the local press.
    (8) To cooperate with agencies of the federal government in studies and conferences designed to examine the needs of senior citizens and minority senior citizens and to prepare programs and facilities to meet those needs.
    (9) To establish and maintain information and referral sources throughout the State when not provided by other agencies.
    (10) To provide the staff support that may reasonably be required by the Council.
    (11) To make and enforce rules and regulations necessary and proper to the performance of its duties.
    (12) To establish and fund programs or projects or experimental facilities that are specially designed as alternatives to institutional care.
    (13) To develop a training program to train the counselors presently employed by the Department's aging network to provide Medicare beneficiaries with counseling and advocacy in Medicare, private health insurance, and related health care coverage plans. The Department shall report to the General Assembly on the implementation of the training program on or before December 1, 1986.
    (14) To make a grant to an institution of higher learning to study the feasibility of establishing and implementing an affirmative action employment plan for the recruitment, hiring, training and retraining of persons 60 or more years old for jobs for which their employment would not be precluded by law.
    (15) To present one award annually in each of the categories of community service, education, the performance and graphic arts, and the labor force to outstanding Illinois senior citizens and minority senior citizens in recognition of their individual contributions to either community service, education, the performance and graphic arts, or the labor force. The awards shall be presented to 4 senior citizens and minority senior citizens selected from a list of 44 nominees compiled annually by the Department. Nominations shall be solicited from senior citizens' service providers, area agencies on aging, senior citizens' centers, and senior citizens' organizations. The Department shall establish a central location within the State to be designated as the Senior Illinoisans Hall of Fame for the public display of all the annual awards, or replicas thereof.
    (16) To establish multipurpose senior centers through area agencies on aging and to fund those new and existing multipurpose senior centers through area agencies on aging, the establishment and funding to begin in such areas of the State as the Department shall designate by rule and as specifically appropriated funds become available.
    (17) To develop the content and format of the acknowledgment regarding non‑recourse reverse mortgage loans under Section 6.1 of the Illinois Banking Act; to provide independent consumer information on reverse mortgages and alternatives; and to refer consumers to independent counseling services with expertise in reverse mortgages.
    (18) To develop a pamphlet in English and Spanish which may be used by physicians licensed to practice medicine in all of its branches pursuant to the Medical Practice Act of 1987, pharmacists licensed pursuant to the Pharmacy Practice Act, and Illinois residents 65 years of age or older for the purpose of assisting physicians, pharmacists, and patients in monitoring prescriptions provided by various physicians and to aid persons 65 years of age or older in complying with directions for proper use of pharmaceutical prescriptions. The pamphlet may provide space for recording information including but not limited to the following:
        (a) name and telephone number of the patient;
        (b) name and telephone number of the prescribing
     physician;
        (c) date of prescription;
        (d) name of drug prescribed;
        (e) directions for patient compliance; and
        (f) name and telephone number of dispensing pharmacy.
    In developing the pamphlet, the Department shall consult with the Illinois State Medical Society, the Center for Minority Health Services, the Illinois Pharmacists Association and senior citizens organizations. The Department shall distribute the pamphlets to physicians, pharmacists and persons 65 years of age or older or various senior citizen organizations throughout the State.
    (19) To conduct a study of the feasibility of implementing the Senior Companion Program throughout the State.
    (20) The reimbursement rates paid through the community care program for chore housekeeping services and home care aides shall be the same.
    (21) From funds appropriated to the Department from the Meals on Wheels Fund, a special fund in the State treasury that is hereby created, and in accordance with State and federal guidelines and the intrastate funding formula, to make grants to area agencies on aging, designated by the Department, for the sole purpose of delivering meals to homebound persons 60 years of age and older.
    (22) To distribute, through its area agencies on aging, information alerting seniors on safety issues regarding emergency weather conditions, including extreme heat and cold, flooding, tornadoes, electrical storms, and other severe storm weather. The information shall include all necessary instructions for safety and all emergency telephone numbers of organizations that will provide additional information and assistance.
    (23) To develop guidelines for the organization and implementation of Volunteer Services Credit Programs to be administered by Area Agencies on Aging or community based senior service organizations. The Department shall hold public hearings on the proposed guidelines for public comment, suggestion, and determination of public interest. The guidelines shall be based on the findings of other states and of community organizations in Illinois that are currently operating volunteer services credit programs or demonstration volunteer services credit programs. The Department shall offer guidelines for all aspects of the programs including, but not limited to, the following:
        (a) types of services to be offered by volunteers;
        (b) types of services to be received upon the
     redemption of service credits;
        (c) issues of liability for the volunteers and the
     administering organizations;
        (d) methods of tracking service credits earned and
     service credits redeemed;
        (e) issues of time limits for redemption of service
     credits;
        (f) methods of recruitment of volunteers;
        (g) utilization of community volunteers, community
     service groups, and other resources for delivering services to be received by service credit program clients;
        (h) accountability and assurance that services will
     be available to individuals who have earned service credits; and
        (i) volunteer screening and qualifications.
The Department shall submit a written copy of the guidelines to the General Assembly by July 1, 1998.
(Source: P.A. 95‑298, eff. 8‑20‑07; 95‑689, eff. 10‑29‑07; 95‑876, eff. 8‑21‑08; 96‑918, eff. 6‑9‑10.)

    (20 ILCS 105/4.02)(from Ch. 23, par. 6104.02)
    Sec. 4.02. Community Care Program. The Department shall establish a program of services to prevent unnecessary institutionalization of persons age 60 and older in need of long term care or who are established as persons who suffer from Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder under the Alzheimer's Disease Assistance Act, thereby enabling them to remain in their own homes or in other living arrangements. Such preventive services, which may be coordinated with other programs for the aged and monitored by area agencies on aging in cooperation with the Department, may include, but are not limited to, any or all of the following:
        (a) (blank);
        (b) (blank);
        (c) home care aide services;
        (d) personal assistant services;
        (e) adult day services;
        (f) home‑delivered meals;
        (g) education in self‑care;
        (h) personal care services;
        (i) adult day health services;
        (j) habilitation services;
        (k) respite care;
        (k‑5) community reintegration services;
        (k‑6) flexible senior services;
        (k‑7) medication management;
        (k‑8) emergency home response;
        (l) other nonmedical social services that may enable
     the person to become self‑supporting; or
        (m) clearinghouse for information provided by senior
     citizen home owners who want to rent rooms to or share living space with other senior citizens.
    The Department shall establish eligibility standards for such services taking into consideration the unique economic and social needs of the target population for whom they are to be provided. Such eligibility standards shall be based on the recipient's ability to pay for services; provided, however, that in determining the amount and nature of services for which a person may qualify, consideration shall not be given to the value of cash, property or other assets held in the name of the person's spouse pursuant to a written agreement dividing marital property into equal but separate shares or pursuant to a transfer of the person's interest in a home to his spouse, provided that the spouse's share of the marital property is not made available to the person seeking such services.
    Beginning July 1, 2002, the Department shall require as a condition of eligibility that all financially eligible applicants apply for medical assistance under Article V of the Illinois Public Aid Code in accordance with rules promulgated by the Department.
    Beginning January 1, 2008, the Department shall require as a condition of eligibility that all new financially eligible applicants apply for and enroll in medical assistance under Article V of the Illinois Public Aid Code in accordance with rules promulgated by the Department.
    The Department shall, in conjunction with the Department of Public Aid (now Department of Healthcare and Family Services), seek appropriate amendments under Sections 1915 and 1924 of the Social Security Act. The purpose of the amendments shall be to extend eligibility for home and community based services under Sections 1915 and 1924 of the Social Security Act to persons who transfer to or for the benefit of a spouse those amounts of income and resources allowed under Section 1924 of the Social Security Act. Subject to the approval of such amendments, the Department shall extend the provisions of Section 5‑4 of the Illinois Public Aid Code to persons who, but for the provision of home or community‑based services, would require the level of care provided in an institution, as is provided for in federal law. Those persons no longer found to be eligible for receiving noninstitutional services due to changes in the eligibility criteria shall be given 60 days notice prior to actual termination. Those persons receiving notice of termination may contact the Department and request the determination be appealed at any time during the 60 day notice period. With the exception of the lengthened notice and time frame for the appeal request, the appeal process shall follow the normal procedure. In addition, each person affected regardless of the circumstances for discontinued eligibility shall be given notice and the opportunity to purchase the necessary services through the Community Care Program. If the individual does not elect to purchase services, the Department shall advise the individual of alternative services. The target population identified for the purposes of this Section are persons age 60 and older with an identified service need. Priority shall be given to those who are at imminent risk of institutionalization. The services shall be provided to eligible persons age 60 and older to the extent that the cost of the services together with the other personal maintenance expenses of the persons are reasonably related to the standards established for care in a group facility appropriate to the person's condition. These non‑institutional services, pilot projects or experimental facilities may be provided as part of or in addition to those authorized by federal law or those funded and administered by the Department of Human Services. The Departments of Human Services, Healthcare and Family Services, Public Health, Veterans' Affairs, and Commerce and Economic Opportunity and other appropriate agencies of State, federal and local governments shall cooperate with the Department on Aging in the establishment and development of the non‑institutional services. The Department shall require an annual audit from all personal assistant and home care aide vendors contracting with the Department under this Section. The annual audit shall assure that each audited vendor's procedures are in compliance with Department's financial reporting guidelines requiring an administrative and employee wage and benefits cost split as defined in administrative rules. The audit is a public record under the Freedom of Information Act. The Department shall execute, relative to the nursing home prescreening project, written inter‑agency agreements with the Department of Human Services and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, to effect the following: (1) intake procedures and common eligibility criteria for those persons who are receiving non‑institutional services; and (2) the establishment and development of non‑institutional services in areas of the State where they are not currently available or are undeveloped. On and after July 1, 1996, all nursing home prescreenings for individuals 60 years of age or older shall be conducted by the Department.
    As part of the Department on Aging's routine training of case managers and case manager supervisors, the Department may include information on family futures planning for persons who are age 60 or older and who are caregivers of their adult children with developmental disabilities. The content of the training shall be at the Department's discretion.
    The Department is authorized to establish a system of recipient copayment for services provided under this Section, such copayment to be based upon the recipient's ability to pay but in no case to exceed the actual cost of the services provided. Additionally, any portion of a person's income which is equal to or less than the federal poverty standard shall not be considered by the Department in determining the copayment. The level of such copayment shall be adjusted whenever necessary to reflect any change in the officially designated federal poverty standard.
    The Department, or the Department's authorized representative, shall recover the amount of moneys expended for services provided to or in behalf of a person under this Section by a claim against the person's estate or against the estate of the person's surviving spouse, but no recovery may be had until after the death of the surviving spouse, if any, and then only at such time when there is no surviving child who is under age 21, blind, or permanently and totally disabled. This paragraph, however, shall not bar recovery, at the death of the person, of moneys for services provided to the person or in behalf of the person under this Section to which the person was not entitled; provided that such recovery shall not be enforced against any real estate while it is occupied as a homestead by the surviving spouse or other dependent, if no claims by other creditors have been filed against the estate, or, if such claims have been filed, they remain dormant for failure of prosecution or failure of the claimant to compel administration of the estate for the purpose of payment. This paragraph shall not bar recovery from the estate of a spouse, under Sections 1915 and 1924 of the Social Security Act and Section 5‑4 of the Illinois Public Aid Code, who precedes a person receiving services under this Section in death. All moneys for services paid to or in behalf of the person under this Section shall be claimed for recovery from the deceased spouse's estate. "Homestead", as used in this paragraph, means the dwelling house and contiguous real estate occupied by a surviving spouse or relative, as defined by the rules and regulations of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, regardless of the value of the property.