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
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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
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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
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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
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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.