Health & Benefits

Explains what you can expect if you are moving to a long-term care facility.

Explains what you're allowed to do in a nursing home and what the nursing home is allowed to do to you.

Information about rights in a voluntary or involuntary admission, transfer, and discharge.

Explains options for people who have a loved one with a severe mental illness.

Explains the process for getting a loved one admitted to a mental health facility.

If you need immediate hospitalization to protect yourself or others from physical harm, you may be admitted through the admission by emergency certification process.

Describes financial rules for couples when one person receives Medicaid and is in a nursing home.

Explains the Home Services Program which allows Illinois residents with disabilities to receive the care they need in their homes rather than in an institutional setting.

Describes when children may receive outpatient mental health care without parental consent, and explains the special rules that govern the hospitalization and discharge of children from mental health care facilities.

Learn about the process of voluntary and informal admission to a mental health facility for adults.

Explains how to place a family member into a nursing home legally.

Explains the Community Integrated Living Arrangements Licensure Act for adults with mental or developmental disabilities.

Examines the procedures that must be followed to ensure that a patient who is involuntarily admitted receives a fair hearing.

Information for people who get Mental Health and Developmental Disability services about your legal medical rights.

Explains ways of paying for nursing home care, including through Medicaid.

A will is followed upon a person's death and a portion of the person's estate goes to their spouse even if not listed

Explains the process for getting a loved one to receive outpatient treatment for a mental illness.

Describes the rules and patient rights which apply to all types of admissions to a mental health facility.

Describes alternatives to nursing homes including who is eligible, services provided, and residents' rights.

Describes government Community Care Program to help seniors avoid a nursing home and eligibility for the program.

Explains the process of getting an order for detention and examination.

Overview of ways to help a loved one with mental illness at risk of harming themselves.

If you do not pose an immediate danger to yourself or others, you are entitled to have a court hearing before you are admitted to a mental health facility.

Explains under what circumstances you can be moved from your nursing home and how you will be told you are being moved.

Explains the steps you can take to challenge a nursing home's decision to transfer or discharge you from their facility.

Explains actions you can take if a nursing home violates your rights, including filing a grievance, complaints, or lawsuit.

Explains what an inpatient admission order is and how to get one for a loved one who has severe mental illness.

Describes the general rules governing transfers and a patient's rights to notice of their upcoming transfer between mental health facilities.

Learn when you can appeal mental health care decisions, the steps in an appeal, and resources that can help.

Explains outpatient commitment orders and how to get one for a loved one with a severe mental illness.

You should not be forced to enter a mental health facility against your wishes unless you have a mental illness, and 1) are expected to cause serious harm to yourself or others in the near future; or 2) are unable to take care of your physical needs, causing a risk of serious harm.

Explains mental health law, considerations, powers and duties of a guardian, and terminating and modifying guardianship. 2025 edition

A lawyer resource that explains federal and state regulation of long-term care facilities, including involuntary transfers, discharges, records, and medical and nursing issues. It considers both the plaintiff's and defendant's perspectives.