Bill Text: IL HB4923 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that subject to appropriation, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, in collaboration with the Department of Human Services and the Department of Public Health (the Departments), shall establish and administer a Medical-Legal Partnership Grant Program that awards annual grants to medical-legal partnerships that provide legal services without charge to assist low-income individuals and families in resolving legal matters or other needs that have a negative impact on their health. Provides that to be eligible for a grant under the program, a medical-legal partnership must demonstrate its ability and experience in providing high quality patient-centered legal services aimed at addressing their patient's health-harming social and legal needs. Requires selected medical-legal partnerships to also comply with standards and guidelines established by the Departments. Requires the Departments to seek input from legal services organizations, community health advocacy organizations, hospitals, and other health care providers in establishing such standards and guidelines. Provides that grant amounts may be used to expand the capacity of existing medical-legal partnerships to provide patients with wraparound services related to housing instability or homelessness, landlord-tenant mediation, income support and rental assistance, food insecurity, family stability, respite care, immigration, and mental health or substance use treatment. Provides that grant amounts may also be awarded to establish medical-legal partnerships in underserved communities. Provides that Community health centers, private or public hospitals, nonprofit legal aid organizations, behavioral health facilities, and other specified entities may apply for program grants. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to adopt rules. Requires the Department to apply for all federal approvals and waivers necessary to cover wraparound services provided by medical-legal partnerships to medical assistance recipients who have chronic health conditions and health-harming social and legal needs. Creates the Medical-Legal Partnership Grant Program Fund under the State Finance Act.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-02-07 - Referred to Rules Committee [HB4923 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HB4923-Introduced.html

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103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 HB4923 Introduced , by Rep. Mary E. Flowers SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
30 ILCS 105/5.1015 new
305 ILCS 5/5-55 new
Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that subject to appropriation, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, in collaboration with the Department of Human Services and the Department of Public Health (the Departments), shall establish and administer a Medical-Legal Partnership Grant Program that awards annual grants to medical-legal partnerships that provide legal services without charge to assist low-income individuals and families in resolving legal matters or other needs that have a negative impact on their health. Provides that to be eligible for a grant under the program, a medical-legal partnership must demonstrate its ability and experience in providing high quality patient-centered legal services aimed at addressing their patient's health-harming social and legal needs. Requires selected medical-legal partnerships to also comply with standards and guidelines established by the Departments. Requires the Departments to seek input from legal services organizations, community health advocacy organizations, hospitals, and other health care providers in establishing such standards and guidelines. Provides that grant amounts may be used to expand the capacity of existing medical-legal partnerships to provide patients with wraparound services related to housing instability or homelessness, landlord-tenant mediation, income support and rental assistance, food insecurity, family stability, respite care, immigration, and mental health or substance use treatment. Provides that grant amounts may also be awarded to establish medical-legal partnerships in underserved communities. Provides that Community health centers, private or public hospitals, nonprofit legal aid organizations, behavioral health facilities, and other specified entities may apply for program grants. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to adopt rules. Requires the Department to apply for all federal approvals and waivers necessary to cover wraparound services provided by medical-legal partnerships to medical assistance recipients who have chronic health conditions and health-harming social and legal needs. Creates the Medical-Legal Partnership Grant Program Fund under the State Finance Act.
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A BILL FOR
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AN ACT concerning public aid.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The State Finance Act is amended by adding
Section 5.1015 as follows:
(30 ILCS 105/5.1015 new)
Sec. 5.1015. The Medical-Legal Partnership Grant Program
Fund.
Section 10. The Illinois Public Aid Code is amended by
adding Section 5-55 as follows:
(305 ILCS 5/5-55 new)
Sec. 5-55. Medical-Legal Partnership Grant Program.
(a) Definitions. As used in this Section:
"Departments" means the Departments of Healthcare and
Family Services, Human Services, and Public Health.
"Medical-legal partnership" means a program conducted or
established by a nonprofit entity through a collaboration
pursuant to a written agreement between one or more medical
service providers and one or more legal services programs,
including those based within a law school, to provide legal
services without charge to assist income-eligible individuals

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and their families in resolving legal matters or other needs
that have an impact on the health of such individuals and
families. Written agreements may include a memorandum of
understanding or other agreement relating to the operations of
the partnership and encompassing the rights and
responsibilities of each party thereto. The medical service
provider or providers may provide referrals of its patients to
the legal services program or programs on matters that may
potentially impact the health, health care, or the health care
costs of a patient.
(b) Subject to appropriation, the Department of Healthcare
and Family Services, in collaboration with the Department of
Human Services and the Department of Public Health, shall
establish and administer a Medical-Legal Partnership Grant
Program that awards annual grants to medical-legal
partnerships located within the State that provide legal
services without charge to assist low-income individuals and
families in resolving legal matters or other needs that have a
negative impact on their health. To be eligible for a grant
under the program, a medical-legal partnership must
demonstrate its ability and experience in providing high
quality patient-centered legal services aimed at addressing
their patient's health-harming social and legal needs.
Selected medical-legal partnerships must also comply with
standards and guidelines established for such partnerships as
determined by the Departments. The Departments shall seek

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input from legal services organizations, community health
advocacy organizations, hospitals, diagnostic and treatment
centers, and other primary and specialty health care providers
in establishing such standards and guidelines.
(c) Grants amounts awarded under the program may be used
to expand the capacity of existing medical-legal partnerships
and increase programming for vulnerable individuals and
families by, at a minimum:
(1) expanding their interdisciplinary team of
attorneys, physicians, and social workers to address
patients' health-harming social and legal needs;
(2) increasing patient access to patient-centered case
management services through the use of designated social
service navigators or care coordinators tasked with
assessing and identifying the patient's specific social
and legal needs before connecting the patient to
wraparound services related to housing instability or
homelessness, landlord-tenant mediation, income support
and rental assistance, food insecurity, family stability,
respite care, immigration, and mental health or substance
use treatment; and
(3) purchasing the technology and personnel needed to
facilitate remote and in-person legal consultations with
an attorney.
Grants amounts may also be awarded to establish
medical-legal partnerships in underserved communities.

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(d) The following entities are eligible to apply for
grants:
(1) Community health centers.
(2) Private or public hospitals.
(3) Nonprofit legal aid organizations.
(4) Public health clinics.
(5) Federally qualified health centers as defined in
Section 1905(l)(2)(B) of the federal Social Security Act.
(6) Behavioral health facilities.
(7) Law schools.
(e) The Department of Healthcare and Family Services shall
adopt any rules necessary to implement the program including,
but not limited to, rules on application and certification
requirements for grant applicants and rules on reporting and
data collection for grantees in order to enable the Department
to track and ensure that grantees are utilizing grant funds
consistent with the purposes of this Section.
(f) The Medical-Legal Partnership Grant Program Fund is
created as a special fund in the State treasury. The fund shall
consist of any appropriations made to the Department of
Healthcare and Family Services for the purpose of the
Medical-Legal Partnership Grant Program and all other moneys
received for the fund from any other source. Moneys deposited
into the fund shall be used for the Medical-Legal Partnership
Grant Program and for no other purpose. All interest earned on
moneys in the fund shall be deposited into the fund.

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