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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1 AN ACT concerning public aid.

2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 
3represented in the General Assembly:

4 Section 5. The State Finance Act is amended by adding 
5Section 5.1015 as follows:

6 (30 ILCS 105/5.1015 new)
7 Sec. 5.1015. The Medical-Legal Partnership Grant Program 
8Fund.

9 Section 10. The Illinois Public Aid Code is amended by 
10adding Section 5-55 as follows:

11 (305 ILCS 5/5-55 new)
12 Sec. 5-55. Medical-Legal Partnership Grant Program.
13 (a) Definitions. As used in this Section: 
14 "Departments" means the Departments of Healthcare and 
15Family Services, Human Services, and Public Health. 
16 "Medical-legal partnership" means a program conducted or 
17established by a nonprofit entity through a collaboration 
18pursuant to a written agreement between one or more medical 
19service providers and one or more legal services programs, 
20including those based within a law school, to provide legal 
21services without charge to assist income-eligible individuals 
 
 
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1and their families in resolving legal matters or other needs 
2that have an impact on the health of such individuals and 
3families. Written agreements may include a memorandum of 
4understanding or other agreement relating to the operations of 
5the partnership and encompassing the rights and 
6responsibilities of each party thereto. The medical service 
7provider or providers may provide referrals of its patients to 
8the legal services program or programs on matters that may 
9potentially impact the health, health care, or the health care 
10costs of a patient. 
11 (b) Subject to appropriation, the Department of Healthcare 
12and Family Services, in collaboration with the Department of 
13Human Services and the Department of Public Health, shall 
14establish and administer a Medical-Legal Partnership Grant 
15Program that awards annual grants to medical-legal 
16partnerships located within the State that provide legal 
17services without charge to assist low-income individuals and 
18families in resolving legal matters or other needs that have a 
19negative impact on their health. To be eligible for a grant 
20under the program, a medical-legal partnership must 
21demonstrate its ability and experience in providing high 
22quality patient-centered legal services aimed at addressing 
23their patient's health-harming social and legal needs. 
24Selected medical-legal partnerships must also comply with 
25standards and guidelines established for such partnerships as 
26determined by the Departments. The Departments shall seek 
 
 
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1input from legal services organizations, community health 
2advocacy organizations, hospitals, diagnostic and treatment 
3centers, and other primary and specialty health care providers 
4in establishing such standards and guidelines. 
5 (c) Grants amounts awarded under the program may be used 
6to expand the capacity of existing medical-legal partnerships 
7and increase programming for vulnerable individuals and 
8families by, at a minimum: 
9  (1) expanding their interdisciplinary team of 
10 attorneys, physicians, and social workers to address 
11 patients' health-harming social and legal needs;
12  (2) increasing patient access to patient-centered case 
13 management services through the use of designated social 
14 service navigators or care coordinators tasked with 
15 assessing and identifying the patient's specific social 
16 and legal needs before connecting the patient to 
17 wraparound services related to housing instability or 
18 homelessness, landlord-tenant mediation, income support 
19 and rental assistance, food insecurity, family stability, 
20 respite care, immigration, and mental health or substance 
21 use treatment; and
22  (3) purchasing the technology and personnel needed to 
23 facilitate remote and in-person legal consultations with 
24 an attorney.
25 Grants amounts may also be awarded to establish 
26medical-legal partnerships in underserved communities.
 
 
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1 (d) The following entities are eligible to apply for 
2grants: 
3  (1) Community health centers.
4  (2) Private or public hospitals.
5  (3) Nonprofit legal aid organizations. 
6  (4) Public health clinics. 
7  (5) Federally qualified health centers as defined in 
8 Section 1905(l)(2)(B) of the federal Social Security Act. 
9  (6) Behavioral health facilities. 
10  (7) Law schools. 
11 (e) The Department of Healthcare and Family Services shall 
12adopt any rules necessary to implement the program including, 
13but not limited to, rules on application and certification 
14requirements for grant applicants and rules on reporting and 
15data collection for grantees in order to enable the Department 
16to track and ensure that grantees are utilizing grant funds 
17consistent with the purposes of this Section. 
18 (f) The Medical-Legal Partnership Grant Program Fund is 
19created as a special fund in the State treasury. The fund shall 
20consist of any appropriations made to the Department of 
21Healthcare and Family Services for the purpose of the 
22Medical-Legal Partnership Grant Program and all other moneys 
23received for the fund from any other source. Moneys deposited 
24into the fund shall be used for the Medical-Legal Partnership 
25Grant Program and for no other purpose. All interest earned on 
26moneys in the fund shall be deposited into the fund. 
 
 
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