Full Text of SR0218 94th General Assembly
SR0218 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
|
|
|
SR0218 |
|
LRB094 12432 DRJ 46805 r |
|
| 1 |
| SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 |
| WHEREAS, The General Assembly has created a number of | 3 |
| programs that provide benefits and services to low-income | 4 |
| people and families designed to encourage, support, and sustain | 5 |
| their efforts to improve their economic status through | 6 |
| employment, including cash assistance, food stamps, and | 7 |
| medical assistance; and
| 8 |
| WHEREAS, These programs are administered by either the | 9 |
| Department of Human Services or the Department of Healthcare | 10 |
| and Family Services; and | 11 |
| WHEREAS, A significant number of low-income people and | 12 |
| families who are eligible for these benefits and services are | 13 |
| served by both the Department of Human Services and the | 14 |
| Department of Healthcare and Family Services; and | 15 |
| WHEREAS, Many eligible people and families may not access | 16 |
| these benefits and services in a timely way because of | 17 |
| disparate federal requirements, complex program rules, agency | 18 |
| staffing challenges, and other administrative infrastructure | 19 |
| issues; therefore, be it
| 20 |
| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL | 21 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that there is hereby | 22 |
| established a Task Force on Access to Benefits and Services to | 23 |
| thoroughly review and analyze policies and procedures | 24 |
| concerning applications and determinations of eligibility for | 25 |
| cash assistance, food stamps, and medical assistance provided | 26 |
| under the Illinois Public Aid Code and the Children's Health | 27 |
| Insurance Program Act; and be it further
| 28 |
| RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall be jointly appointed | 29 |
| and convened by the Secretary of Human Services and the | 30 |
| Director of Healthcare and Family Services no later than |
|
|
|
SR0218 |
- 2 - |
LRB094 12432 DRJ 46805 r |
|
| 1 |
| October, 1, 2005, shall meet at least 4 times during each State | 2 |
| fiscal year, and may be comprised of members of existing | 3 |
| advisory bodies and other appropriate individuals; and be it | 4 |
| further | 5 |
| RESOLVED, That at a minimum, the review and analysis | 6 |
| conducted by the Task Force shall encompass (1) barriers | 7 |
| encountered by applicants, (2) requirements for face-to-face | 8 |
| interviews, (3) locations where applications may be made, (4) | 9 |
| locations where open cases may be maintained, (5) methodologies | 10 |
| for counting income, (6) requirements for documenting or | 11 |
| otherwise verifying eligibility criteria, (7) establishing the | 12 |
| earliest possible date of application, (8) coordination of | 13 |
| redeterminations of eligibility, including the frequency of | 14 |
| redeterminations, and (9) acceptable methods for submitting | 15 |
| information and required documentation whether in person or by | 16 |
| phone, facsimile, or electronic transmission; and be it further | 17 |
| RESOLVED, That (i) the Task Force and the departments, | 18 |
| based on the review and analysis, shall collaboratively develop | 19 |
| recommendations for appropriate changes in law, rules, policy, | 20 |
| or process that will simplify, make uniform, or otherwise ease | 21 |
| the processes by which potentially eligible persons may apply | 22 |
| for and be found eligible for benefits and services and (ii) | 23 |
| such recommendations shall include proposed timelines and | 24 |
| priorities for implementation; and be it further
| 25 |
| RESOLVED, That in making recommendations, the Task Force | 26 |
| and the departments shall take into account and balance the | 27 |
| following factors: (1) the need to comply with federal law and | 28 |
| regulations to maximize federal financial participation; (2) | 29 |
| the need to minimize administrative tasks for applicants, | 30 |
| recipients, employees, medical providers, and authorized | 31 |
| agents of the departments while maintaining program integrity; | 32 |
| (3) the costs and potential savings associated with proposed | 33 |
| changes; (4) the preservation of existing benefit levels for |
|
|
|
SR0218 |
- 3 - |
LRB094 12432 DRJ 46805 r |
|
| 1 |
| the substantial majority of recipients; and (5) the | 2 |
| appropriateness and feasibility of obtaining waivers of | 3 |
| federal law and regulations to maximize the goals of | 4 |
| simplification and uniformity without the loss of federal | 5 |
| financial participation; and be it further
| 6 |
| RESOLVED, That the departments shall work in good faith to | 7 |
| implement the recommendations to the extent they are | 8 |
| appropriate and feasible given available time and resources; | 9 |
| and be it further
| 10 |
| RESOLVED, That the departments (i) shall jointly prepare a | 11 |
| written report of the review, analysis, and recommendations of | 12 |
| the Task Force and the departments and any administrative | 13 |
| changes developed by the departments as a result of the work of | 14 |
| the Task Force, (ii) shall make a draft of the report available | 15 |
| to the Task Force for review and comment, and (iii) shall | 16 |
| prepare a final report to be submitted jointly by the | 17 |
| departments to the General Assembly and to the Governor no | 18 |
| later than January 1, 2007; and be it further
| 19 |
| RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution shall be delivered | 20 |
| to the Secretary of Human Services and the Director of | 21 |
| Healthcare and Family Services.
|
|