Bill Text: IL HB1562 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the Department of Human Services Act. Requires the Department of Human Services to establish and administer, no later than January 1, 2026, a 5-year pilot program that integrates an occupational therapy component into the State's home-delivered meals program, commonly known as Meals on Wheels, authorized under the federal Older Americans Act. Provides that under the pilot program, the Department shall award grants funded under the Section 14(c) transition program to eligible community agencies for the purpose of training and employing qualifying workers with disabilities to accompany Meals on Wheels drivers on their regular delivery routes and assist in the delivery of meals to homebound meal recipients who opt to participate in the pilot program. Provides that at the option of a participating homebound meal recipient, a qualifying worker may remain with the recipient for up to 2 hours after meal delivery to provide an opportunity for social engagement and interaction. Provides that a direct support professional shall travel with and supervise all deliveries made by a worker whose disability makes the worker less independent. Sets forth qualification requirements under the program for workers with disabilities. Provides that all workers with disabilities selected to participate in the pilot program shall be compensated at a rate level consistent with those wage standards applied for workers engaged in competitive integrated employment as defined in the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Requires community agencies selected to receive grant funding under the pilot program to have active or pending subminimum wage certificates authorized under Section 14(c) of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 and meet any other eligibility requirements established by the Department by rule. Requires the Department to conduct annual surveys during the duration of the pilot program on participating homebound meal recipients and workers with disabilities to gauge such participants' overall satisfaction with the pilot program and to document any other additional benefits to program participants. Effective July 1, 2025.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-28 - Referred to Rules Committee [HB1562 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2025-HB1562-Introduced.html

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104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB1562 Introduced , by Rep. Charles Meier SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
20 ILCS 1305/1-100 new
Amends the Department of Human Services Act. Requires the Department of Human Services to establish and administer, no later than January 1, 2026, a 5-year pilot program that integrates an occupational therapy component into the State's home-delivered meals program, commonly known as Meals on Wheels, authorized under the federal Older Americans Act. Provides that under the pilot program, the Department shall award grants funded under the Section 14(c) transition program to eligible community agencies for the purpose of training and employing qualifying workers with disabilities to accompany Meals on Wheels drivers on their regular delivery routes and assist in the delivery of meals to homebound meal recipients who opt to participate in the pilot program. Provides that at the option of a participating homebound meal recipient, a qualifying worker may remain with the recipient for up to 2 hours after meal delivery to provide an opportunity for social engagement and interaction. Provides that a direct support professional shall travel with and supervise all deliveries made by a worker whose disability makes the worker less independent. Sets forth qualification requirements under the program for workers with disabilities. Provides that all workers with disabilities selected to participate in the pilot program shall be compensated at a rate level consistent with those wage standards applied for workers engaged in competitive integrated employment as defined in the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Requires community agencies selected to receive grant funding under the pilot program to have active or pending subminimum wage certificates authorized under Section 14(c) of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 and meet any other eligibility requirements established by the Department by rule. Requires the Department to conduct annual surveys during the duration of the pilot program on participating homebound meal recipients and workers with disabilities to gauge such participants' overall satisfaction with the pilot program and to document any other additional benefits to program participants. Effective July 1, 2025.
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A BILL FOR
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AN ACT concerning State government.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Department of Human Services Act is amended
by adding Section 1-100 as follows:
(20 ILCS 1305/1-100 new)
Sec. 1-100. Occupational therapy pilot program for workers
with disabilities.
(a) No later than January 1, 2026, the Department of Human
Services shall establish and administer a 5-year pilot program
that integrates an occupational therapy component into the
State's home-delivered meals program, commonly known as Meals
on Wheels, authorized under the federal Older Americans Act.
Under the pilot program, the Department shall award grants
funded under the Section 14(c) transition program to eligible
community agencies for the purpose of training and employing
qualifying workers with disabilities to accompany Meals on
Wheels drivers on their regular delivery routes and assist in
the delivery of meals to homebound meal recipients who opt to
participate in the pilot program. At the option of a
participating homebound meal recipient, a qualifying worker
may remain with the recipient for up to 2 hours after meal
delivery to provide an opportunity for social engagement and

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interaction. A direct support professional shall travel with
and supervise all deliveries made by a worker whose disability
makes the worker less independent.
Following completion of the 2-hour social engagement
activity, accommodations shall be made for a Meals on Wheels
delivery driver to pick-up and transport a qualifying worker
and any accompanying direct support professional from the
homebound meal recipient's residence back to the worker's
personal residence or to a developmental disability facility
where the worker resides or receives services. To encourage
and help maintain a social connection between qualifying
workers and homebound meal recipients, efforts shall be made
to assign each qualifying worker to at least one participating
homebound meal recipient for whom the worker will deliver
meals to on a regular basis.
(b) To qualify for training and employment under the pilot
program, an individual must have an intellectual or
developmental disability and must:
(1) have held previous employment in a congregate work
center or sheltered workshop under a subminimum wage
certificate authorized under Section 14(c) of the federal
Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938; or
(2) be aged 22 or older and no longer eligible for
services or supports provided through traditional
school-based developmental disabilities programs.
All workers with disabilities selected to participate in

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the pilot program shall be compensated at a rate level
consistent with those wage standards applied for workers
engaged in competitive integrated employment as defined in the
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (Public Law 113-128)
and Section 7 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C.
705).
(c) Community agencies selected to receive grant funding
under the pilot program must have active or pending subminimum
wage certificates authorized under Section 14(c) of the
federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 and meet any other
eligibility requirements established by the Department by
rule.
(d) To measure the effectiveness of the pilot program,
beginning one year after the pilot program's implementation
date the Department shall conduct annual surveys on
participating homebound meal recipients and workers with
disabilities to gauge such participants' overall satisfaction
with the pilot program and to document any other additional
benefits to program participants. The final survey shall be
conducted no later than 3 months after the pilot program
terminates. All surveys shall be posted on the Department's
official website.