BEREAVEMENT CARE

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SB4188 - 104th General Assembly

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104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
SB4188

Introduced 4/16/2026, by Sen. Lakesia Collins

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

New Act

Creates the Bereavement Care for All Act. Directs the Department of
Public Health to develop a statewide Bereavement Care Strategic Plan and a
centralized Bereavement Care Resource and Navigation Hub. Requires the
State Board of Education to develop model guidance for school districts
regarding grief-informed education. Directs State-funded professional
licensing boards to evaluate integration of grief-informed training and
education into continuing education requirements. Directs the Department
of Public Health to develop screening tools in schools and healthcare
settings to identify bereaved children and adults and connect them with
appropriate resources. Requires the Department of Public Health to improve
data collection regarding bereavement prevalence and disparities and
submit a report to the Governor and the General Assembly. Authorizes the
Department of Public Health to adopt rules. Contains findings. Defines
terms.
LRB104 21434 BDA 36497 b

A BILL FOR

SB4188
LRB104 21434 BDA 36497 b
1

AN ACT concerning health.

2

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

4

Section 1.
Short title.
This Act may be cited as the
5
Bereavement Care for All Act.

6

Section 5.
Findings; purpose.
7

(a) The General Assembly finds that:
8

(1) Bereavement is a universal human experience and a
9

significant health, economic, and educational concern
10

affecting communities throughout Illinois.
11

(2) Approximately 1 in 12 Illinois children experience
12

the death of a parent or sibling before age 18, and this
13

number nearly doubles by age 25.
14

(3) Bereavement is associated with increased risk of
15

depression, suicide, substance use disorder, poor school
16

outcomes, workforce instability, chronic disease, and
17

financial hardship.
18

(4) Sudden and unexpected deaths, including suicide,
19

overdose, homicide, maternal mortality, and infant
20

mortality, have reached record levels in Illinois, yet
21

bereavement care remains largely absent from statewide
22

behavioral health planning and funding priorities.
23

(5) Racial disparities in mortality result in

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disproportionate and earlier, more frequent exposure to
2

loss in Black communities and historically marginalized
3

communities.
4

(6) Institutional systems often fail to identify and
5

respond to bereavement, resulting in fragmented care and
6

missed opportunities for support. In addition, most
7

professionals receive little or no training in
8

grief-informed practices, limiting effective support for
9

grieving individuals and families.
10

(7) Investing in coordinated, equitable, and
11

culturally responsive bereavement care will mitigate
12

immediate and long-term physical, behavioral, educational,
13

and economic consequences of loss.
14

(b) The purpose of this Act is to establish a
15
comprehensive statewide bereavement care strategy to improve
16
access to support, strengthen workforce capacity, reduce
17
disparities, and integrate grief-informed practices across
18
Illinois public systems.

19

Section 10.
Definitions.
As used in this Act:
20

"Bereavement" means the experience of loss due to death.
21

"Grief-informed" means having policies and practices that
22
recognize the prevalence and impact of bereavement and promote
23
a holistic understanding, compassionate, culturally responsive
24
care, and coordinated access to appropriate supports and
25
resources.

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"State agency" means any department, board, commission, or
2
authority of the executive branch.

3

Section 15.
Bereavement Care Strategic Plan.
4

(a) The Department of Public Health shall develop a
5
statewide Bereavement Care Strategic Plan, in consultation
6
with statewide professional organizations and State agency
7
representatives, including, but not limited to:
8

(1) the Department of Public Health;
9

(2) the Department of Human Services;
10

(3) the State Board of Education;
11

(4) the Department of Healthcare and Family Services;
12

(5) the Department of Children and Family Services;
13

(6) the Illinois Criminal Justice Information
14

Authority;
15

(7) at least 3 community-based bereavement providers;
16

(8) representatives from communities
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disproportionately impacted by premature death; and
18

(9) at least 2 individuals with lived experience of
19

bereavement.
20

(b) The Strategic plan shall:
21

(1) recommend standards for grief-informed training
22

and protocols;
23

(2) identify gaps in services across geographic
24

regions; and
25

(3) identify funding opportunities, including federal

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and settlement funds.
2

(c) The Department of Public Health, in consultation with
3
statewide professional organizations and State agency
4
representatives described under subsection (a), shall submit
5
recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly within 18
6
months after the effective date of this Act and shall review
7
and update the Bereavement Care Strategic Plan every 3 years
8
thereafter.

9

Section 20.
Statewide Bereavement Resource and Navigation
10
Hub.
11

(a) The Department of Public Health shall establish or
12
designate a centralized Statewide Bereavement Resource and
13
Navigation Hub.
14

(b) The Statewide Bereavement Resource and Navigation Hub
15
shall:
16

(1) maintain a publicly accessible, searchable
17

directory of community-based, culturally responsive
18

bereavement services;
19

(2) provide navigation assistance for families seeking
20

services;
21

(3) include resources related to Social Security
22

survivor benefits and victim compensation;
23

(4) coordinate with 2-1-1 systems and existing health
24

and human service platforms; and
25

(5) prioritize outreach in high-need and underserved

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regions.

2

Section 25.
Grief-informed education and workforce
3
training.
4

(a) The State Board of Education shall develop model
5
guidance for school districts to:
6

(1) identify grieving students;
7

(2) establish grief-informed protocols for responding
8

to deaths within their school community;
9

(3) integrate grief awareness into social-emotional
10

learning frameworks.
11

(b) State-funded professional licensing boards shall
12
evaluate integration of, and may integrate, grief-informed
13
training and education into continuing education requirements
14
for:
15

(1) educators;
16

(2) mental health professionals;
17

(3) healthcare providers;
18

(4) first responders;
19

(5) criminal justice personnel; and
20

(6) funeral professionals.
21

(c) Education and training under this Section shall
22
prioritize culturally responsive and developmentally
23
appropriate approaches.

24

Section 30.
Screening and identification protocols.

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(a) The Department of Public Health, in consultation with
2
relevant agencies, shall develop model screening tools for use
3
in schools and healthcare settings to identify bereaved
4
children and adults and connect them with appropriate
5
resources.
6

(b) The Department of Public Health shall evaluate the
7
feasibility of adding, and may add, an optional checkbox to
8
death certificates indicating whether the deceased leaves
9
behind dependent children, for purposes of survivor benefit
10
outreach and service connection.
11

(c) Implementation of this Section shall comply with all
12
privacy and confidentiality laws.

13

Section 35.
Data; reporting; rules.
14

(a) The Department of Public Health shall improve data
15
collection regarding bereavement prevalence and disparities.
16

(b) The Department of Public Health shall submit a report,
17
concurrently with the recommendations submitted within 18
18
months after the effective date of this Act and every 3 years
19
thereafter under subsection (c) of Section 15, containing
20
summaries of the following information:
21

(1) service utilization;
22

(2) identified gaps;
23

(3) disparities in access; and
24

(4) recommendations for further action.
25

(c) The Department of Public Health may adopt any rules

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necessary to implement and administer this Act.

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