Section 320 ILCS 20/2 - [Effective 1/1/2025] DefinitionsAs used in this Act, unless the context requires otherwise:
(a) "Abandonment" means the desertion or willful forsaking of an eligible adult by an individual responsible for the care and custody of that eligible adult under circumstances in which a reasonable person would continue to provide care and custody. Nothing in this Act shall be construed to mean that an eligible adult is a victim of abandonment because of health care services provided or not provided by licensed health care professionals.(a-1) "Abuse" means causing any physical, mental or sexual injury to an eligible adult, including exploitation of such adult's financial resources, and abandonment or subjecting an eligible adult to an environment which creates a likelihood of harm to the eligible adult's health, physical and emotional well-being, or welfare. Nothing in this Act shall be construed to mean that an eligible adult is a victim of abuse, abandonment, neglect, or self-neglect for the sole reason that he or she is being furnished with or relies upon treatment by spiritual means through prayer alone, in accordance with the tenets and practices of a recognized church or religious denomination.
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to mean that an eligible adult is a victim of abuse because of health care services provided or not provided by licensed health care professionals.
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to mean that an eligible adult is a victim of abuse in cases of criminal activity by strangers, telemarketing scams, consumer fraud, internet fraud, home repair disputes, complaints against a homeowners' association, or complaints between landlords and tenants.
(a-5) "Abuser" means a person who is a family member, caregiver, or another person who has a continuing relationship with the eligible adult and abuses, abandons, neglects, or financially exploits an eligible adult.(a-6) "Adult with disabilities" means a person aged 18 through 59 who resides in a domestic living situation and whose disability as defined in subsection (c-5) impairs his or her ability to seek or obtain protection from abuse, abandonment, neglect, or exploitation.(a-7) "Caregiver" means a person who either as a result of a family relationship, voluntarily, or in exchange for compensation has assumed responsibility for all or a portion of the care of an eligible adult who needs assistance with activities of daily living or instrumental activities of daily living.(b) "Department" means the Department on Aging of the State of Illinois.(c) "Director" means the Director of the Department.(c-5) "Disability" means a physical or mental disability, including, but not limited to, a developmental disability, an intellectual disability, a mental illness as defined under the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code, or dementia as defined under the Alzheimer's Disease Assistance Act.(d) "Domestic living situation" means a residence where the eligible adult at the time of the report lives alone or with his or her family or a caregiver, or others, or other community-based unlicensed facility, but is not: (1) A licensed facility as defined in Section 1-113 of the Nursing Home Care Act;(1.5) A facility licensed under the ID/DD Community Care Act;(1.6) A facility licensed under the MC/DD Act;(1.7) A facility licensed under the Specialized Mental Health Rehabilitation Act of 2013;(2) A "life care facility" as defined in the Life Care Facilities Act;(3) A home, institution, or other place operated by the federal government or agency thereof or by the State of Illinois;(4) A hospital, sanitarium, or other institution, the principal activity or business of which is the diagnosis, care, and treatment of human illness through the maintenance and operation of organized facilities therefor, which is required to be licensed under the Hospital Licensing Act;(5) A "community living facility" as defined in the Community Living Facilities Licensing Act;(7) A "community-integrated living arrangement" as defined in the Community-Integrated Living Arrangements Licensure and Certification Act or a "community residential alternative" as licensed under that Act;(8) An assisted living or shared housing establishment as defined in the Assisted Living and Shared Housing Act; or(9) A supportive living facility as described in Section 5-5.01a of the Illinois Public Aid Code.(e) "Eligible adult" means either an adult with disabilities aged 18 through 59 or a person aged 60 or older who resides in a domestic living situation and is, or is alleged to be, abused, abandoned, neglected, or financially exploited by another individual or who neglects himself or herself. "Eligible adult" also includes an adult who resides in any of the facilities that are excluded from the definition of "domestic living situation" under paragraphs (1) through (9) of subsection (d), if either: (i) the alleged abuse, abandonment, or neglect occurs outside of the facility and not under facility supervision and the alleged abuser is a family member, caregiver, or another person who has a continuing relationship with the adult; or (ii) the alleged financial exploitation is perpetrated by a family member, caregiver, or another person who has a continuing relationship with the adult, but who is not an employee of the facility where the adult resides. (f) "Emergency" means a situation in which an eligible adult is living in conditions presenting a risk of death or physical, mental or sexual injury and the provider agency has reason to believe the eligible adult is unable to consent to services which would alleviate that risk.(f-1) "Financial exploitation" means the use of an eligible adult's resources by another to the disadvantage of that adult or the profit or advantage of a person other than that adult.(f-3) "Investment advisor" means any person required to register as an investment adviser or investment adviser representative under Section 8 of the Illinois Securities Law of 1953, which for purposes of this Act excludes any bank, trust company, savings bank, or credit union, or their respective employees.(f-5) "Mandated reporter" means any of the following persons while engaged in carrying out their professional duties: (1) a professional or professional's delegate while engaged in: (i) social services, (ii) law enforcement, (iii) education, (iv) the care of an eligible adult or eligible adults, or (v) any of the occupations required to be licensed under the Behavior Analyst Licensing Act, the Clinical Psychologist Licensing Act, the Clinical Social Work and Social Work Practice Act, the Illinois Dental Practice Act, the Dietitian Nutritionist Practice Act, the Marriage and Family Therapy Licensing Act, the Medical Practice Act of 1987, the Naprapathic Practice Act, the Nurse Practice Act, the Nursing Home Administrators Licensing and Disciplinary Act, the Illinois Occupational Therapy Practice Act, the Illinois Optometric Practice Act of 1987, the Pharmacy Practice Act, the Illinois Physical Therapy Act, the Physician Assistant Practice Act of 1987, the Podiatric Medical Practice Act of 1987, the Respiratory Care Practice Act, the Professional Counselor and Clinical Professional Counselor Licensing and Practice Act, the Illinois Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Practice Act, the Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Practice Act of 2004, and the Illinois Public Accounting Act; (1.5) an employee of an entity providing developmental disabilities services or service coordination funded by the Department of Human Services;(2) an employee of a vocational rehabilitation facility prescribed or supervised by the Department of Human Services;(3) an administrator, employee, or person providing services in or through an unlicensed community based facility;(4) any religious practitioner who provides treatment by prayer or spiritual means alone in accordance with the tenets and practices of a recognized church or religious denomination, except as to information received in any confession or sacred communication enjoined by the discipline of the religious denomination to be held confidential;(5) field personnel of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, Department of Public Health, and Department of Human Services, and any county or municipal health department;(6) personnel of the Department of Human Services, the Guardianship and Advocacy Commission, the State Fire Marshal, local fire departments, the Department on Aging and its subsidiary Area Agencies on Aging and provider agencies, except the State Long Term Care Ombudsman and any of his or her representatives or volunteers where prohibited from making such a report pursuant to 45 CFR 1324.11(e)(3)(iv);(7) any employee of the State of Illinois not otherwise specified herein who is involved in providing services to eligible adults, including professionals providing medical or rehabilitation services and all other persons having direct contact with eligible adults;(8) a person who performs the duties of a coroner or medical examiner;(9) a person who performs the duties of a paramedic or an emergency medical technician; or(10) a person who performs the duties of an investment advisor.(g) "Neglect" means another individual's failure to provide an eligible adult with or willful withholding from an eligible adult the necessities of life including, but not limited to, food, clothing, shelter or health care. This subsection does not create any new affirmative duty to provide support to eligible adults. Nothing in this Act shall be construed to mean that an eligible adult is a victim of neglect because of health care services provided or not provided by licensed health care professionals.(h) "Provider agency" means any public or nonprofit agency in a planning and service area that is selected by the Department or appointed by the regional administrative agency with prior approval by the Department on Aging to receive and assess reports of alleged or suspected abuse, abandonment, neglect, or financial exploitation. A provider agency is also referenced as a "designated agency" in this Act.(i) "Regional administrative agency" means any public or nonprofit agency in a planning and service area that provides regional oversight and performs functions as set forth in subsection (b) of Section 3 of this Act. The Department shall designate an Area Agency on Aging as the regional administrative agency or, in the event the Area Agency on Aging in that planning and service area is deemed by the Department to be unwilling or unable to provide those functions, the Department may serve as the regional administrative agency or designate another qualified entity to serve as the regional administrative agency; any such designation shall be subject to terms set forth by the Department.(i-5) "Self-neglect" means a condition that is the result of an eligible adult's inability, due to physical or mental impairments, or both, or a diminished capacity, to perform essential self-care tasks that substantially threaten his or her own health, including: providing essential food, clothing, shelter, and health care; and obtaining goods and services necessary to maintain physical health, mental health, emotional well-being, and general safety. The term includes compulsive hoarding, which is characterized by the acquisition and retention of large quantities of items and materials that produce an extensively cluttered living space, which significantly impairs the performance of essential self-care tasks or otherwise substantially threatens life or safety.(j) "Substantiated case" means a reported case of alleged or suspected abuse, abandonment, neglect, financial exploitation, or self-neglect in which a provider agency, after assessment, determines that there is reason to believe abuse, abandonment, neglect, or financial exploitation has occurred.(k) "Verified" means a determination that there is "clear and convincing evidence" that the specific injury or harm alleged was the result of abuse, abandonment, neglect, or financial exploitation.Amended by P.A. 103-0626,§ 10, eff. 1/1/2025.Amended by P.A. 103-0329,§ 10, eff. 1/1/2024.Amended by P.A. 102-0953,§ 905, eff. 5/27/2022.Amended by P.A. 102-0244,§ 5, eff. 1/1/2022.Amended by P.A. 100-0641,§ 5, eff. 1/1/2019.Amended by P.A. 099-0180,§ 180, eff. 7/29/2015.Amended by P.A. 098-1039,§ 15, eff. 8/25/2014.Amended by P.A. 098-0756,§ 545, eff. 7/16/2014.Amended by P.A. 098-0104,§ 6-245, eff. 7/22/2013.Amended by P.A. 098-0049,§ 100, eff. 7/1/2013.Amended by P.A. 097-1141,§ 8, eff. 12/28/2012.Amended by P.A. 097-0813,§ 495, eff. 7/13/2012.Amended by P.A. 097-0706,§ 10, eff. 6/25/2012.Amended by P.A. 097-0300,§ 5, eff. 8/11/2011.Amended by P.A. 097-0227,§ 92, eff. 1/1/2012.Amended by P.A. 097-0038,§ 90-170, eff. 6/28/2011.Amended by P.A. 096-1000,§ 510, eff. 7/2/2010.Amended by P.A. 096-0572,§ 5, eff. 1/1/2010.Amended by P.A. 096-0526,§ 5, eff. 1/1/2010.Amended by P.A. 096-0339,§ 90-157, eff. 7/1/2010.Amended by P.A. 095-0876,§ 260, eff. 8/21/2008.Amended by P.A. 095-0689,§ 90, eff. 10/29/2007.Amended by P.A. 095-0639,§ 165, eff. 10/5/2007.Amended by P.A. 094-1064, § 5, eff. 1/1/2007.Amended by P.A. 093-0300, § 5, eff. 1/1/2004.Amended by P.A. 093-0281, § 25, eff. 12/31/2003. P.A. 90-628, eff. 1-1-99; revised 9-24-98; 91-259, eff. 1-1-00; 92-16, eff. 6-28-01.This section is set out more than once due to postponed, multiple, or conflicting amendments.