Amends the Substance Use Disorder Act. Expands the Act to include counseling, referral, and other supportive services for persons with gambling disorders. Requires the Department of Human Services to collaborate with the State Board of Education in the development of instructional resources for substance use or gambling disorder prevention and awareness that may be used by school districts. Permits the Department to cooperate with institutions of higher education in the development of programs on substance use and gambling disorders. Requires the Department to establish a toll-free hotline and website that provides crisis counseling and referral services for families experiencing difficulty related to a gambling disorder. Requires the Department to promote public awareness regarding the impact of gambling disorders on individuals, families, and communities. Makes other changes.
Amends the Assisted Living and Shared Housing Act. In provisions concerning assessment and service plan requirements, provides that a comprehensive assessment shall be completed by a physician, a physician assistant, or an advanced practice registered nurse (instead of only a physician). In provisions concerning Alzheimer and dementia programs, provides that an assessment must be approved by a resident's physician, physician assistant, or advanced practice registered nurse (instead of only a physician) and shall occur prior to acceptance for residency, annually, and at such time that a change in the resident's condition is identified by a family member, staff of the establishment, or the resident's physician, physician assistant, or advanced practice registered nurse (instead of only a physician).
Amends the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971, the Counties Code, the Illinois Municipal Code, the School Code, the Health Maintenance Organization Act, the Limited Health Service Organization Act, the Voluntary Health Services Plans Act, and the Illinois Public Aid Code to require coverage for eye medication under the provisions of those Acts pursuant to the Topical Eye Medication Prescription Act.
Amends the Counties Code and the Illinois Municipal Code. Provides that county medical examiners and coroners are first responders for the purposes of provisions requiring a county to provide health insurance coverage for its employees who are first responders without imposing a deductible, coinsurance, copayment, or any other cost-sharing requirement.
Amends the Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities Act. Requires direct service workers employed by the Department of Human Services, or an agency contracted with the Department, to provide services under the Home Services Program to complete at least 2 hours of dementia training at the start of their employment and annually thereafter. Requires the training to cover subjects concerning Alzheimer's disease and dementia, safety risks, and communication and behavior. Requires the Department to provide contractors with dementia training curriculum on the required subjects. Provides that any other laws or rules that impose more rigorous dementia training for direct service workers under the Home Services Program shall apply. Exempts from the training requirements direct service workers who provide proof that they obtained equivalent dementia training in compliance with another law or rule. For personal assistants covered by a collective bargaining agreement, requires the Department to establish, in consultation with the joint training committee created under the collective bargaining agreement, different parameters and specific topics for curriculum covering dementia training.
Amends the Illinois Occupational Therapy Practice Act. Requires a licensed occupational therapist or licensed occupational therapy assistant who intends to provide services for individuals, groups, and populations concerning occupational therapy needs without a referral to do so within the licensee's scope of practice. Provides that a referral is not required for the purpose of providing consultations, habilitation services, screenings, education, wellness services, preventions services, environmental assessments, and work-related ergonomic services. Provides that, except for occupational therapy services within the licensee's scope of practice at the time of evaluation and services provided pursuant to provisions concerning when referrals are not required, an occupational therapist shall refer a patient to the patient's treating health care professional of record, or to a health care professional of the patient's choosing if there is no health care professional of record, if the patient meets certain criteria. Provides that an occupational therapist shall refer a patient to the patient's treating health care professional of record, or to a health care professional of the patient's choosing if there is no health care professional of record if the patient does not demonstrate measurable or function improvement after 10 visits (rather than after 10 visits or 15 business days, whichever occurs first).
Amends the Illinois Insurance Code. Provides that every insurer that amends, delivers, issues, or renews a group or individual policy or certificate of disability insurance or disability income insurance shall ensure parity for the payment of mental, emotional, nervous, or substance use disorders or conditions. Changes the definition of "treatment limitation" to include benefit payments under disability insurance or disability income insurance.
Amends the Department of Human Services Act. Requires the Department of Human Services to revise all Department forms and billing codes to remove the term "mental retardation" and replace it with "intellectual disability".
Amends the Limited Health Service Organization Act. Makes changes to defined terms. In provisions concerning the offering of a point-of-sale contract by a limited health service organization (LHSO), removes a provision requiring the LHSO to include an annual maximum benefit allowance not to exceed $2,500 per year that is separate from any limits or allowances applied to in-plan services. Provides that, if an LHSO expends in any calendar quarter more than 20% of its total limited health services expenditures for all its members for out-of-plan covered services, then specified limitations shall not apply subject to the LHSO minimum capital and surplus requirements applicable to a life, accident, and health insurance company. Makes other changes.
Amends the Illinois Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Practice Act. Allows a speech-language pathologist to diagnose autism spectrum disorders if: (1) the child is under 3 years of age; and (2) the speech-language pathologist is trained in autism diagnostic evaluation methods as part of the curriculum of an approved program, through worksite training, or through continuing education. Provides that if a diagnosis requires a plan of care that includes elements that are outside the scope of practice of a speech-language pathologist, the speech-language pathologist must refer the patient to the appropriate medical personnel for further evaluation or management. Makes conforming changes in the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code, and provisions of the Illinois Insurance Code concerning autism spectrum disorders. Effective July 1, 2027.
