Illinois General Assembly - Illinois Compiled Statutes

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305 ILCS 5/4-1

(305 ILCS 5/4-1) (from Ch. 23, par. 4-1)

Sec. 4-1. Eligibility requirements.

Financial aid in meeting basic maintenance requirements for a livelihood
compatible with health and well-being shall be given under this Article to
or in behalf of families with dependent children who meet the eligibility
conditions of Sections 4-1.1 through 4-1.12. It shall be the policy of the Illinois Department to provide aid under this Article to all qualified persons who seek assistance and to conduct outreach efforts to educate the public about the program.  The Department shall provide timely, accurate, and fair service to all applicants for assistance.
Persons who meet the eligibility criteria authorized under this Article shall
be treated equally, provided that nothing in this Article shall be construed to
create an entitlement to a particular grant or service level or to aid in
amounts not authorized under this Code, nor construed to limit the authority of
the General Assembly to change the eligibility requirements or provisions
respecting assistance amounts. The General Assembly recognizes that the need for aid will fluctuate with the economic situation in Illinois and that at times the number of people receiving aid under this Article will increase.

The Illinois Department shall advise every applicant for and recipient of
aid under this Article of (i) the requirement that all recipients move toward
self-sufficiency and (ii) the value and benefits of employment.  As a condition
of eligibility for that aid, every person who applies for aid under this
Article on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1995 shall
prepare and submit, as part of the application or subsequent redetermination,
a personal plan for achieving
employment and self-sufficiency.
The plan shall incorporate the individualized assessment and employability
plan set out in subsections (d), (f), and (g) of Section 9A-8. The plan may be
amended as the recipient's needs change. The assessment
process to develop the plan shall include questions that screen for domestic
violence issues and steps needed to address these issues may be part of the
plan.  If the individual indicates that he or she is a victim of domestic
violence, he or she may also be referred to an available domestic violence
program.
Failure of the client to follow through on the
personal plan for employment and self-sufficiency may be a basis for sanction
under Section 4-21.

(Source: P.A. 96-866, eff. 7-1-10; 97-813, eff. 7-13-12.)