New York & Illinois
New York members – The Justice for Nursing Home Victims act, NYA.8489, was introduced in January 2022 and would provide a death benefit of $250,000 to the estate of a resident and $100,000 to the spouse of a resident and each dependent of a resident that died from COVID-19 in a nursing home, assisted living residence, or residential health care facility.
The estate or family member would have to show a death certificate indicating that the resident died from COVID-19 in the state and provide a death certificate and a certification by a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant currently in good standing in any state or the District of Columbia.
New York members may find themselves involved in many family discussions as families, and their attorneys, work to qualify their deceased family members for these death benefits.
Interested New York members should contact the sponsors listed below for input on the bill.
NY Assemb. Ronald “Ron” Kim (D-NY-040)
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (518) 455-5411
NY Assemb. Kenneth “Kenny” Burgos (D-NY-085)
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (718) 893-0202
Illinois members – In response to concerns about illness, loneliness, and lack of support for seniors in assisted living, the state has proposed IL S.B.0702: Sr Housing Residents Council. The bill passed its second reading on March 7, and would establish a government advisory committee comprised of three representatives of government agencies and three elected representatives. The government agencies would appoint two residents from affordable senior housing developments, two residents of assisted living facilities, and two family members.
The six government-appointed individuals, in this controlled setting, represent the government’s effort to allow “senior Illinoisans to connect with each other and meet with representatives from the Department on Aging and the Department of Public Health in order to share their ideas on how the State can improve the quality of life for its senior residents.”
There is considerable room to improve this bill to hear from more of the residents and family communities and we encourage RALNA members to contact the bill’s sponsors to offer their suggestions.
Primary sponsors:
IL Sen. Don Harmon (D-IL-039)
[email protected]
Phone: (217) 782-8176
Sen. Michael “Mike” Simmons (D-IL-007)
Phone: (773) 769-1717
To track these and other bills and regulations, go to RALNA’s real-time tracking boards:
