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| 1 | AN ACT concerning State government.
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| 2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, | ||||||
| 3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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| 4 | Section 5. The Illinois Act on the Aging is amended by | ||||||
| 5 | adding Section 8.13 as follows: | ||||||
| 6 | (20 ILCS 105/8.13 new) | ||||||
| 7 | Sec. 8.13. Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Pilot | ||||||
| 8 | Program. | ||||||
| 9 | (a) Subject to additional appropriations, the Department | ||||||
| 10 | shall establish and administer a Grandparents Raising | ||||||
| 11 | Grandchildren Pilot Program to operate in Will County | ||||||
| 12 | beginning January 1, 2024 through January 1, 2027. The pilot | ||||||
| 13 | program shall require the Senior Services Center of Will | ||||||
| 14 | County to designate a staff member to serve as an intake | ||||||
| 15 | coordinator for Will County who shall help connect | ||||||
| 16 | grandparents raising grandchildren to existing relevant | ||||||
| 17 | services and resources provided by the various State agencies, | ||||||
| 18 | including, but not limited to, services and resources provided | ||||||
| 19 | by the Department of Children and Family Services, the | ||||||
| 20 | Department of Human Services, the Department on Aging, the | ||||||
| 21 | Department of Healthcare and Family Services, and the State | ||||||
| 22 | Board of Education. The intake coordinator shall provide | ||||||
| 23 | services at local senior services centers in Will County that | ||||||
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| 1 | are operated by the Senior Services Center of Will County and | ||||||
| 2 | shall work with the Department on Aging to create a public | ||||||
| 3 | awareness campaign on the services and resources offered by | ||||||
| 4 | each of the agencies. The intake coordinator shall maintain | ||||||
| 5 | records regarding the number of families who received | ||||||
| 6 | referrals, the specific services each family was referred to | ||||||
| 7 | and received, and the frequency of calls and visits. The | ||||||
| 8 | intake coordinator selected by the Senior Services Center of | ||||||
| 9 | Will County must be knowledgeable on the following programs: | ||||||
| 10 | (1) The Extended Family Support Program administered | ||||||
| 11 | by the Department of Children and Family Services. | ||||||
| 12 | (2) The Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Program | ||||||
| 13 | administered by the Department on Aging. | ||||||
| 14 | (3) The Child Only Grants assistance component of the | ||||||
| 15 | Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program | ||||||
| 16 | administered by the Department of Human Services. | ||||||
| 17 | (4) The Children Health Insurance Program administered | ||||||
| 18 | by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services. | ||||||
| 19 | (b) The intake coordinator must be given the contact | ||||||
| 20 | information for the designated point of contact for each State | ||||||
| 21 | agency listed in subsection (a). Each State agency's | ||||||
| 22 | designated point of contact shall provide educational | ||||||
| 23 | materials and training on the different programs provided by | ||||||
| 24 | the State agency. The intake coordinator may receive this | ||||||
| 25 | information within 14 days after his or her selection by the | ||||||
| 26 | Senior Services Center of Will County in accordance with this | ||||||
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| 1 | Section. | ||||||
| 2 | (c) By January 1 of each year beginning in 2025 until the | ||||||
| 3 | pilot program terminates, the Department on Aging shall submit | ||||||
| 4 | an annual report to the General Assembly on the number of | ||||||
| 5 | families who received referrals to relevant services from the | ||||||
| 6 | intake coordinator during the prior calendar year, the | ||||||
| 7 | specific services each family was referred to and received, | ||||||
| 8 | and other related information on the frequency of calls and | ||||||
| 9 | visits to the office of the intake coordinator during the | ||||||
| 10 | reporting period.
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