Section 615.210  Purpose and Distribution of Grant Funds

a)         The purpose of the Local Health Protection Grant program is to support a statewide system of local health departments to assure the protection of the public through the provision of various health protection programs.  Local Health Protection Grants may be used by the participating local health department for any health protection program or service including, but not limited to, Infectious Diseases, Food Protection, Potable Water Supply, and Private Sewage Disposal.  The Grants are intended to supplement other federal, State and local funds available to support local health protection programs, including the four programs that must be assured for participation.  Provided the four programs are assured, the local health department may use the Grant funds for any health protection program, activity or service, or for shared management or administrative support costs.

b)         The Department shall award Local Health Protection Grant funds using a methodology developed in cooperation with the Illinois Association of Public Health Administrators and the Northern Illinois Public Health Consortium; however, the Director shall make the final determination of the methodology used.  The allocation methodology shall be based upon the following criteria:  population; number of persons with incomes below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level; and historical grant award levels.

c)         Local health departments participating in the Local Health Protection Grant program shall receive, subject to the availability of funds, annual grant awards calculated by one of the following methods:

1)         An amount equivalent to the previous year's award, adjusted for inflation, shall be reserved for each local health department that participated in the grant program the previous year.  After that amount is reserved, additional funds shall be allocated to participating local health departments to achieve the following cumulative allocation:

A)        Fifty percent (50%) of the annual Local Health Protection Grant funds shall be allocated based upon the populations of the local health departments' jurisdictions; and

B)        Fifty percent (50%) of the annual Grant funds shall be allocated based upon the numbers of persons with income below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level within local health departments' jurisdictions.

2)         Minimum and Maximum Grant Awards.  This subsection applies to all participating local health departments.

A)        Subject to the availability of funds, the Department will establish a minimum grant award level annually.  The minimum award will be applied if the methodology specified in subsection (c)(1) of this Section would result in a grant award to a local health department that is less than the minimum award. The minimum grant shall not be less than $50,000. The minimum annual grant award to any participating multi-county local health department shall be the minimum award times the number of counties in the multi-county local health department.

B)        If available Grant funds increase in subsequent fiscal years, the Department shall raise the minimum annual grant awards for participating single-county (or partial-county) local health departments by the same percentage as the percentage increase in Grant funds available for previously-participating local health departments.

C)        If the methodology will result in a local health department receiving a grant award that will adversely affect the funding available to other local health departments, then the Department may establish a maximum grant award for that year.  The maximum award shall be based on the total annual Local Health Protection Grant appropriation level, the allocation criteria, and/or the availability of other State or federal funds for performing the required programs described in Subpart C of this Part.

3)         For newly certified local health departments, initial grant awards shall be determined by the methodology specified in subsection (c)(1)(A) and (B) or (2) of this Section.

4)         Multi-County Local Health Departments.  The annual grant award for each participating multi-county local health department shall equal the sum of the annual grant awards that its individual counties could receive as single-county health departments.

5)         Maximum Annual Change.  The Department may impose a maximum allowable annual percentage change (% increase or % decrease) in the total grant award for participating local health departments.  Such limits shall not be imposed from one year to the next without granting the Illinois Association of Public Health Administrators and the Northern Illinois Public Health Consortium advance notice and an opportunity to comment.  The Department's decision to impose the limitation shall be based on the number of participating local health departments, the unmet financial needs of participating local health departments, the adequacy of other funding available to local health departments, the availability of Local Health Protection Grant funds for that year, the inflation rate, and other issues affecting the fair distribution of grant funds.

6)         The methodologies specified in subsections (c)(1) through (5) of this Section shall not be applied to the distribution of additional funds appropriated for the Grant program, if that additional appropriation specifies the method by which the funds are to be distributed.

d)         Prior to the award of Grant funds, the Department and the local health department shall execute a grant agreement wherein the local health department, at a minimum, agrees to:

1)         fulfill the requirements of this Part; and

2)         provide program statistical information to the Department.  The requested information will be developed in cooperation with the Illinois Association of Public Health Administrators and the Northern Illinois Public Health Consortium.

(Source:  Amended at 30 Ill. Reg. 13412, effective July 27, 2006)