Bill Text: IL HB3288 | 2021-2022 | 102nd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Amends the Children and Family Services Act. Provides that beginning in State Fiscal Year 2023, and for every State fiscal year thereafter, the Department of Children and Family Services shall implement the reimbursement methodology outlined in a specified provision of the Illinois Administrative Code when calculating and determining the payment reimbursements for community-based agencies that contract with the Department to provide specified services, including, but not limited to: (i) residential services; (ii) specialized, adolescent, treatment, or other non-traditional or Home-of-Relative foster care services; (iii) intact family services; and (iv) teen parenting services. Provides that the payment reimbursement calculated and determined, as provided in the amendatory Act, shall be subject to appropriation. Effective immediately.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-03-27 - Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [HB3288 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2021-HB3288-Introduced.html
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1 | AN ACT concerning State government.
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2 | WHEREAS, The Department of Children and Family Services' | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
3 | stated mission is to protect children who are reported to be | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
4 | abused or neglected and to increase their families' capacity | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | to safely care for them; provide for the well-being of | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
6 | children in their care; provide appropriate, permanent | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
7 | families as quickly as possible for those children who cannot | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 | safely return home; support early intervention and child abuse | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | prevention activities and work in partnerships with | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | communities to fulfill this mission; and
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11 | WHEREAS, Community-based agencies provide care and | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 | services for more than 80% of children involved with the child | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 | welfare system on behalf of the State of Illinois, which has a | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 | moral, legal, and financial responsibility to provide them | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 | with the best possible care; and
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16 | WHEREAS, Community-based agencies serve populations of | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | children, youth, and families of color which are | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | disproportionately represented in the child welfare system; | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
19 | and
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20 | WHEREAS, The Department of Children and Family Services | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 | contracts with community-based agencies to provide services | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
22 | for, but not limited to, children and youth in foster care, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
23 | intact families, and congregate care settings, at an |
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1 | established fixed reimbursement methodology which should | ||||||
2 | include all costs associated with the delivery of those | ||||||
3 | services; and
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4 | WHEREAS, Providers of residential services, | ||||||
5 | non-traditional or Home-of-Relative foster care services, | ||||||
6 | intact family services, and teen parenting services are | ||||||
7 | crucial in supporting children and families, especially those | ||||||
8 | who face greater challenges due to structural racism, | ||||||
9 | pervasive poverty, and trauma exposure; and
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10 | WHEREAS, If such providers and their programs are | ||||||
11 | inadequately reimbursed, it can lead to the most vulnerable | ||||||
12 | children and families in society being left without connection | ||||||
13 | to necessary services; and
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14 | WHEREAS, The community-based agencies that provide these | ||||||
15 | vital services continually face rising operational and | ||||||
16 | personnel expenditures such as competitive employee wages, | ||||||
17 | increasing insurance premiums, employee benefits, occupancy, | ||||||
18 | utilities, and training and travel expenditures, yet the | ||||||
19 | reimbursements provided to the
community-based agencies are | ||||||
20 | not adjusted for these costs-of-doing-business expenses; and
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21 | WHEREAS, Community-based agencies employ a diverse | ||||||
22 | workforce, a significant proportion of which identify as Black |
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1 | and Latinx; and
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2 | WHEREAS, It is the obligation of the General Assembly to | ||||||
3 | promote the health, safety, and well-being of children, youth, | ||||||
4 | and families in the care of the Department of Children and | ||||||
5 | Family Services; and
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6 | WHEREAS, Investing in community-based agencies will help | ||||||
7 | the General Assembly meet its obligation and improve outcomes | ||||||
8 | for all families to reach their full potential and to ensure a | ||||||
9 | stronger and more equitable future for the children, youth, | ||||||
10 | and families in the care of the Department of Children and | ||||||
11 | Family Services; and
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12 | WHEREAS, It is imperative that the General Assembly | ||||||
13 | establish a standardized annual process that includes | ||||||
14 | adjustments for the cost of doing business, as measured by the | ||||||
15 | Consumer Price Index, and for evaluating and setting the | ||||||
16 | reimbursement for required child welfare services to ensure | ||||||
17 | sufficient resources to
obtain the appropriate outcomes for | ||||||
18 | children, youth, and
families involved in the Illinois child | ||||||
19 | welfare system; therefore
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20 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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21 | represented in the General Assembly:
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1 | Section 5. The Children and Family Services Act is amended | ||||||
2 | by adding Section 5g as follows:
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3 | (20 ILCS 505/5g new) | ||||||
4 | Sec. 5g. Payment for reimbursable services. | ||||||
5 | (a) As used in this Section, "consumer price index" means | ||||||
6 | the index published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the | ||||||
7 | United States Department of Labor that measures the consumer | ||||||
8 | price index of all items less medical care in Midwest urban | ||||||
9 | areas, for all urban consumers, not seasonally adjusted. | ||||||
10 | (b) Beginning in State Fiscal Year 2023, and for every | ||||||
11 | State fiscal year thereafter, the Department shall implement | ||||||
12 | the reimbursement methodology outlined in 89 Ill. Adm. Code | ||||||
13 | 356.50(f) when calculating and determining the payment | ||||||
14 | reimbursements for community-based agencies that contract with | ||||||
15 | the Department to
provide any of the services enumerated in 89 | ||||||
16 | Ill. Adm. Code 356.50(f) and in paragraph (1) of this | ||||||
17 | subsection. Payment
reimbursements calculated and determined | ||||||
18 | as provided in this Section shall include an amount equal to | ||||||
19 | any increase in the general inflation as determined by the | ||||||
20 | consumer price index. The contractual and grant services under | ||||||
21 | this Section to which the reimbursement methodology shall | ||||||
22 | apply include the following: | ||||||
23 | (1) Residential services, including child care | ||||||
24 | institution, group home care, independent living services, |
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1 | and transitional living services. | ||||||
2 | (2) Specialized, adolescent, treatment, or other | ||||||
3 | non-traditional or Home-of-Relative foster care. | ||||||
4 | (3) Traditional or Home-of-Relative foster care. | ||||||
5 | (4) Intact Family Services. | ||||||
6 | (5) Teen Parenting Services. | ||||||
7 | (c) The payment reimbursements calculated and determined | ||||||
8 | as provided in this Section shall be subject to appropriation.
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9 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
10 | becoming law.
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