SR0342 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0342 LRB099 11631 GRL 34647 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, On February 18, 2015, Governor Bruce Rauner's administration released its proposal for the Fiscal Year 2016 State budget; and

WHEREAS, On that day, the Illinois Department of Human Services announced that it intended to save money by making it more difficult to enter the Division of Rehabilitative Services Home Services Program by changing the minimum threshold for eligibility; the Illinois Department on Aging also announced that it intended to save money by making it more difficult to enter the Community Care Program by changing the minimum threshold for eligibility; and

WHEREAS, The prior threshold for service was a score of 29 on the Determination of Need Assessment; the new proposed threshold for service would be a score of 37 on the Determination of Need Assessment; and

WHEREAS, The current Determination of Need minimum of 29 covers people with disabilities and seniors who are in need of help in critical areas of daily living; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services would carry the administrative responsibility for creating the change by seeking federal approval to amend 2 1915 (C) Home and Community-Based Services Waivers to change the Determination of Need Assessment score requirement; and

WHEREAS, Changing the score from 29 to 37 would immediately eliminate 10,000 people with disabilities from the Home Services Program; changing the score would also prevent 16,000 seniors from becoming eligible for service in the next year, and 21,000 more would be eliminated in reassessment in the next year; and

WHEREAS, The members of this body find it unconscionable to deny 47,000 people with disabilities and seniors the opportunity to live independently in their communities; and

WHEREAS, The proposed change to the Determination of Need score was made without any input from disability and senior advocates; and

WHEREAS, Each person with a disability in the Home Services Program saves Illinois Medicaid at least $17,000 a year by living in the community instead of a nursing home; and

WHEREAS, Each senior living independently with support from the Community Care Program saves Illinois Medicaid approximately $24,000 a year by living in the community instead of a nursing home; and

WHEREAS, Thousands of workers in the Home Services Program and the Community Care Program would be left without employment when consumers are made ineligible; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we state our opposition to the proposed change of the Determination of Need Score minimum threshold from 29 to 37, which would result in thousands of people with disabilities and seniors being left without critical support for activities of daily living in their own homes; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the Governor and the Illinois Department of Human Services to withdraw any and all plans to amend the Medicaid State plan to change the Determination of Need score requirements; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the Governor and the Secretary of Human Services.