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91_HB1942
LRB9100355JSks
1 AN ACT to amend the Abused and Neglected Long Term Care
2 Facility Residents Reporting Act by changing Section 6.2.
3 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
4 represented in the General Assembly:
5 Section 5. The Abused and Neglected Long Term Care
6 Facility Residents Reporting Act is amended by changing
7 Section 6.2 as follows:
8 (210 ILCS 30/6.2) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 4166.2)
9 (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2000)
10 Sec. 6.2. Inspector General.
11 (a) The Governor shall appoint, and the Senate shall
12 confirm, an Inspector General who shall function within the
13 Department of Human Services and report to the Secretary of
14 Human Services and the Governor. The Inspector General shall
15 investigate reports of suspected abuse or neglect (as those
16 terms are defined in Section 3 of this Act) of patients or
17 residents in any mental health or developmental disabilities
18 facility operated by the Department of Human Services and
19 shall have authority to investigate and take immediate action
20 on reports of abuse or neglect of recipients, whether
21 patients or residents, in any mental health or developmental
22 disabilities facility or program that is licensed or
23 certified by the Department of Human Services (as successor
24 to the Department of Mental Health and Developmental
25 Disabilities) or that is funded by the Department of Human
26 Services (as successor to the Department of Mental Health and
27 Developmental Disabilities) and is not licensed or certified
28 by any agency of the State. At the specific, written request
29 of an agency of the State other than the Department of Human
30 Services (as successor to the Department of Mental Health and
31 Developmental Disabilities), the Inspector General may
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1 cooperate in investigating reports of abuse and neglect of
2 persons with mental illness or persons with developmental
3 disabilities. The Inspector General shall have no
4 supervision over or involvement in routine, programmatic,
5 licensure, or certification operations of the Department of
6 Human Services or any of its funded agencies.
7 The Inspector General shall promulgate rules establishing
8 minimum requirements for reporting allegations of abuse and
9 neglect and initiating, conducting, and completing
10 investigations. The promulgated rules shall clearly set
11 forth that in instances where 2 or more State agencies could
12 investigate an allegation of abuse or neglect, the Inspector
13 General shall not conduct an investigation that is redundant
14 to an investigation conducted by another State agency. The
15 rules shall establish criteria for determining, based upon
16 the nature of the allegation, the appropriate method of
17 investigation, which may include, but need not be limited to,
18 site visits, telephone contacts, or requests for written
19 responses from agencies. The rules shall also clarify how
20 the Office of the Inspector General shall interact with the
21 licensing unit of the Department of Human Services in
22 investigations of allegations of abuse or neglect. Any
23 allegations or investigations of reports made pursuant to
24 this Act shall remain confidential until a final report is
25 completed. The resident or patient who allegedly was abused
26 or neglected and his or her legal guardian shall be informed
27 by the facility or agency of the report of alleged abuse or
28 neglect. Final reports regarding unsubstantiated or unfounded
29 allegations shall remain confidential, except that final
30 reports may be disclosed pursuant to Section 6 of this Act.
31 The Inspector General shall be appointed for a term of 4
32 years.
33 (b) The Inspector General shall within 24 hours after
34 receiving a report of suspected abuse or neglect determine
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1 whether the evidence indicates that any possible criminal act
2 has been committed. If he determines that a possible criminal
3 act has been committed, or that special expertise is required
4 in the investigation, he shall immediately notify the
5 Department of State Police. The Department of State Police
6 shall investigate any report indicating a possible murder,
7 rape, or other felony. All investigations conducted by the
8 Inspector General shall be conducted in a manner designed to
9 ensure the preservation of evidence for possible use in a
10 criminal prosecution.
11 (b-5) The Inspector General shall make a determination
12 to accept or reject a preliminary report of the investigation
13 of alleged abuse or neglect based on established
14 investigative procedures. The facility or agency may request
15 clarification or reconsideration based on additional
16 information. For cases where the allegation of abuse or
17 neglect is substantiated, the Inspector General shall require
18 the facility or agency to submit a written response. The
19 written response from a facility or agency shall address in a
20 concise and reasoned manner the actions that the agency or
21 facility will take or has taken to protect the resident or
22 patient from abuse or neglect, prevent reoccurrences, and
23 eliminate problems identified and shall include
24 implementation and completion dates for all such action.
25 (c) The Inspector General shall, within 10 calendar days
26 after the transmittal date of a completed investigation where
27 abuse or neglect is substantiated or administrative action is
28 recommended, provide a complete report on the case to the
29 Secretary of Human Services and to the agency in which the
30 abuse or neglect is alleged to have happened. The complete
31 report shall include a written response from the agency or
32 facility operated by the State to the Inspector General that
33 addresses in a concise and reasoned manner the actions that
34 the agency or facility will take or has taken to protect the
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1 resident or patient from abuse or neglect, prevent
2 reoccurrences, and eliminate problems identified and shall
3 include implementation and completion dates for all such
4 action. The Secretary of Human Services shall accept or
5 reject the response and establish how the Department will
6 determine whether the facility or program followed the
7 approved response. The Secretary may require Department
8 personnel to visit the facility or agency for training,
9 technical assistance, programmatic, licensure, or
10 certification purposes. Administrative action, including
11 sanctions, may be applied should the Secretary reject the
12 response or should the facility or agency fail to follow the
13 approved response. Within 30 days after the Secretary has
14 approved a response, the facility or agency making the
15 response shall provide an implementation report to the
16 Inspector General on the status of the corrective action
17 implemented. Within 60 days after receiving the
18 implementation report, the Inspector General shall conduct an
19 investigation to determine whether the facility or agency is
20 in compliance with the approved response. The facility or
21 agency shall inform the resident or patient and the legal
22 guardian whether the reported allegation was substantiated,
23 unsubstantiated, or unfounded. There shall be an appeals
24 process for any person or agency that is subject to any
25 action based on a recommendation or recommendations.
26 (d) The Inspector General may recommend to the
27 Departments of Public Health and Human Services sanctions to
28 be imposed against mental health and developmental
29 disabilities facilities under the jurisdiction of the
30 Department of Human Services for the protection of residents,
31 including appointment of on-site monitors or receivers,
32 transfer or relocation of residents, and closure of units.
33 The Inspector General may seek the assistance of the Attorney
34 General or any of the several State's attorneys in imposing
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1 such sanctions.
2 (e) The Inspector General shall establish and conduct
3 periodic training programs for Department employees
4 concerning the prevention and reporting of neglect and abuse.
5 (f) The Inspector General shall at all times be granted
6 access to any mental health or developmental disabilities
7 facility operated by the Department, shall establish and
8 conduct unannounced site visits to those facilities at least
9 once annually, and shall be granted access, for the purpose
10 of investigating a report of abuse or neglect, to any
11 facility or program funded by the Department that is subject
12 under the provisions of this Section to investigation by the
13 Inspector General for a report of abuse or neglect.
14 (g) Nothing in this Section shall limit investigations
15 by the Department of Human Services that may otherwise be
16 required by law or that may be necessary in that Department's
17 capacity as the central administrative authority responsible
18 for the operation of State mental health and developmental
19 disability facilities.
20 (h) This Section is repealed on January 1, 2000.
21 (Source: P.A. 89-427, eff. 12-7-95; 89-507, eff. 7-1-97;
22 90-252, eff. 7-29-97; 90-512, eff. 8-22-97; 90-655, eff.
23 7-30-98.)