Rep. Manley Awarded Legislator of the Year by National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. — In recognition of her long time advocacy for older adults, state Rep. Natalie Manley was honored by the Illinois Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) at their 2022 spring conference.

“I am incredibly honored to receive the award of Legislator of the Year from the Illinois Chapter of NAELA. I take our shared mission of supporting older adults through law and policy very seriously, and I am excited to continue this essential work,” Manley said. “Together, we can create a better future for seniors across the state.”

Throughout her career, Manley has been a dedicated advocate for seniors in Illinois. This past legislative session, she championed House Bill 4979, which corrected a gap in existing law where older adults were reportedly being denied Medicaid benefits because they purchased prepaid funeral or burial contracts. This forced people to cash in their policies prematurely and not use them for their intended purpose of covering funeral and burial costs. House Bill 4979 corrected this injustice by allowing individuals to irrevocably assign life insurance benefits to a funeral home for the purchase of prepaid funeral or burial benefits.

“House Bill 4979 is a commonsense solution that prevents seniors from having to prematurely cash in their life insurance benefits for pennies on the dollar,” Manley said. “Practical policy solutions like these can make a world of difference in the lives of older adults, and I will continue to make them a cornerstone of my legislative agenda.”

House Bill 4797 passed with bipartisan support and was signed into law last month.