093_HB3023eng

 
HB3023 Engrossed                     LRB093 10034 DRJ 10285 b

 1        AN ACT in relation to public aid.

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

 4        Section 5.  The Illinois Public Aid Code  is  amended  by
 5    changing Sections 11-1 and 11-20.1 as follows:

 6        (305 ILCS 5/11-1) (from Ch. 23, par. 11-1)
 7        Sec.   11-1.  No  discrimination).   There  shall  be  no
 8    discrimination or denial of financial aid and social services
 9    on account of the race,  religion,  color,  national  origin,
10    sex,   marriage  status,  or  political  affiliation  of  any
11    applicant or recipient.
12        Participation  in  any  marriage  promotion   or   family
13    formation  activity is voluntary. Non-participation shall not
14    affect any person's eligibility for or receipt  of  financial
15    aid or social services in any program under this Code.
16        Where  financial  aid  or  social services are granted to
17    certain classes of persons under a program for which  federal
18    funds  are  available,  nothing in this Section shall require
19    granting of financial aid or social services to other persons
20    where federal funds would not be available as to those  other
21    persons.
22    (Source: P.A. 80-354.)

23        (305 ILCS 5/11-20.1) (from Ch. 23, par. 11-20.1)
24        Sec.   11-20.1.  Employment;   Rights  of  recipient  and
25    obligations of Illinois  Department  when  recipients  become
26    employed;  Assistance  when  a  recipient  has  employment or
27    earned income or both.
28        (a)  When  a  recipient  reports  employment  or   earned
29    income,  or both, or the Illinois Department otherwise learns
30    of a recipient's employment or earned income,  or  both,  the
 
HB3023 Engrossed            -2-      LRB093 10034 DRJ 10285 b
 1    Illinois Department shall provide the recipient with:
 2             (1)  An  explanation  of  how the earned income will
 3        affect the  recipient's  eligibility  for  a  grant,  and
 4        whether  the  recipient  must  engage  in additional work
 5        activities  to  meet   the   recipient's   monthly   work
 6        activities  requirement  and what types of activities may
 7        be approved for that purpose, and whether the  employment
 8        is  sufficient  to cause months of continued receipt of a
 9        grant not to be counted against the recipient's  lifetime
10        eligibility limit.
11             (2)  An  explanation  of  the  Work  Pays  budgeting
12        process,  and  an  explanation  of  how the first month's
13        income on a new  job  will  be  projected,  and  how  the
14        recipient   should  report  the  new  job  to  avoid  the
15        Department overestimating the first month's income.
16             (3)  An explanation of how the  earned  income  will
17        affect  the  recipient's  eligibility  for  food  stamps,
18        whether  the  recipient  will  continue  to  receive food
19        stamps, and, if so, the amount of food stamps.
20             (4)  The  names  and  telephone   numbers   of   all
21        caseworkers  to  whom  the  recipient's case or cases are
22        assigned or will be transferred, an explanation of  which
23        type  of  case  each  worker  will  be  handling, and the
24        effective date of the transfer.
25             (5)  An    explanation    of     the     recipient's
26        responsibilities   to   report   income   and   household
27        circumstances,  the  process by which quarterly reporting
28        forms are sent to  recipients,  where  and  to  whom  the
29        reports should be returned, the deadline by which reports
30        must  be  returned,  instructions  on how to fill out the
31        reports, an explanation of what the recipient  should  do
32        if  he or she does not receive the form, advice on how to
33        prove the report was returned by the recipient such as by
34        keeping a copy, and an  explanation  of  the  effects  of
 
HB3023 Engrossed            -3-      LRB093 10034 DRJ 10285 b
 1        failure to file reports.
 2             (6)  If  the  recipient  will  continue to receive a
 3        grant, an explanation of the recipient's new fiscal month
 4        and a statement as to when the recipient will receive his
 5        or her grant.
 6             (7)  An  explanation  of  Kidcare,  Family   Assist,
 7        Family  Care,  and  the  12  month  extension  of medical
 8        assistance that is available when a  grant  is  cancelled
 9        due to earned income.
10             (8)  An  explanation  of  the medical assistance the
11        person may be eligible for when the  12  month  extension
12        expires and how to request or apply for it.
13             (9)  An  explanation  of the availability of a child
14        care  subsidy  to  all  families  below  the  child  care
15        assistance program's income limit, how to apply  for  the
16        benefit  through  the Child Care Resource and Referral or
17        site-administered child care program or both, the  nature
18        of  the  child  care program's sliding scale co-payments,
19        the availability of the 10% earned  income  disregard  in
20        determining eligibility for child care assistance and the
21        amount  of  the  parent  co-payment, the right to use the
22        subsidy for either licensed or license exempt legal care,
23        and the availability  of  benefits  when  the  parent  is
24        engaged in an education and training program.
25             (10)  (Blank).
26             (11)  (Blank).
27             (11a)  (Blank).
28             (12)  (Blank).
29             (13)  An  explanation of the availability of payment
30        for initial expenses of employment and how to request  or
31        apply for it.
32             (14)  An  explanation of the job retention component
33        and how to participate in it, and an explanation  of  the
34        recipient's eligibility to receive supportive services to
 
HB3023 Engrossed            -4-      LRB093 10034 DRJ 10285 b
 1        participate  in  education  and  training  programs while
 2        working.
 3             (15)  A statement of the types  of  assistance  that
 4        will be provided to the person automatically or continued
 5        and  a statement of the types of assistance for which the
 6        person must apply or reapply.
 7             (16)  If the recipient will not continue to  receive
 8        a  cash  grant  and the recipient has assigned his or her
 9        right to child support to  the  Illinois  Department,  an
10        explanation  of  the  recipient's  right  to  continue to
11        receive   child   support   enforcement   services,   the
12        recipient's right to have all current support paid  after
13        grant  cancellation  forwarded promptly to the recipient,
14        the procedures by which child support will be  forwarded,
15        and  the  procedures  by  which  the  recipient  will  be
16        informed  of  the  collection  and  distribution of child
17        support.
18             (17)  An explanation of the availability of payments
19        if the recipient experiences a decrease  in  or  loss  of
20        earned  income  during a calendar quarter as to which the
21        monthly grant was  previously  budgeted  based  upon  the
22        higher income.
23             (18)  If  the recipient will not continue to receive
24        a cash  grant,  an  explanation  of  the  procedures  for
25        reapplying  for cash assistance if the person experiences
26        a decrease in or loss of earned income.
27             (19)  An explanation of the earned income tax credit
28        and the procedures by which it may be  obtained  and  the
29        rules  for disregarding it in determining eligibility for
30        and the amount of assistance.
31             (20)  An explanation of the education  and  training
32        opportunities available to recipients.
33             (b)  The  information listed in subsection (a) shall
34    be provided to the recipient on an individual basis during an
 
HB3023 Engrossed            -5-      LRB093 10034 DRJ 10285 b
 1    in-person meeting  with  a  representative  of  the  Illinois
 2    Department.   The  individual in-person meeting shall be held
 3    at a time which does not conflict with the  recipient's  work
 4    schedule  within  30  days  of  the date the recipient begins
 5    working.  If the recipient informs  the  Illinois  Department
 6    that an in-person meeting would be inconvenient, the Illinois
 7    Department  may  provide the information during a home visit,
 8    by telephone, or by mail within  30  days  of  the  date  the
 9    recipient begins working, whichever the client prefers.
10        (c)  At  the  conclusion  of  the  meeting  described  in
11    subsection (b), the Illinois Department shall ensure that all
12    case  transfers  and calculations of benefits necessitated by
13    the recipient's employment or receipt of earned  income  have
14    been  performed, that applications have been made or provided
15    for all benefits for which the person must apply or  reapply,
16    and that the person has received payment for initial expenses
17    of employment.
18    (Source: P.A. 91-331, eff. 7-29-99.)

19        Section  99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect upon
20    becoming law.