Full Text of SR0342 99th General Assembly
SR0342enr 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | 09900SR0342 Enrolled | | LRB099 11631 GRL 34647 r |
|
| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 342
| 2 | | WHEREAS, On February 18, 2015, Governor Bruce Rauner's | 3 | | administration released its proposal for the Fiscal Year 2016 | 4 | | State budget; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, On that day, the Illinois Department of Human | 6 | | Services announced that it intended to save money by making it | 7 | | more difficult to enter the Division of Rehabilitative Services | 8 | | Home Services Program by changing the minimum threshold for | 9 | | eligibility; the Illinois Department on Aging and the | 10 | | Department of Healthcare and Family Services also announced | 11 | | that it intended to save money by making it more difficult to | 12 | | enter the Community Care Program, Supportive Living | 13 | | Facilities, and nursing
homes by changing the minimum threshold | 14 | | for eligibility
consistent with the change announced by the | 15 | | Department of Human Services; and
| 16 | | WHEREAS, The prior threshold for service was a score of 29 | 17 | | on the Determination of Need Assessment; the new proposed | 18 | | threshold for service would be a score of 37 on the | 19 | | Determination of Need Assessment; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, The current Determination of Need minimum of 29 | 21 | | covers people with disabilities and seniors who are in need of | 22 | | help in critical areas of daily living; and
|
| | | 09900SR0342 Enrolled | - 2 - | LRB099 11631 GRL 34647 r |
|
| 1 | | WHEREAS, The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family | 2 | | Services would carry the administrative responsibility for | 3 | | creating the change by seeking federal approval to amend 2 1915 | 4 | | (C) Home and Community-Based Services Waivers to change the | 5 | | Determination of Need Assessment score requirement; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Changing the score from 29 to 37 would immediately | 7 | | eliminate 10,000 people with disabilities from the Home | 8 | | Services Program; changing the score would also prevent 16,000 | 9 | | seniors from becoming eligible for Medicaid waiver service in | 10 | | the next year, and 21,000 more would be eliminated in | 11 | | reassessment in the next year; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, The Members of this Body find it unconscionable to | 13 | | deny tens of thousands of people with disabilities and seniors | 14 | | the opportunity to receive vital care and support services; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, The proposed change to the Determination of Need | 16 | | score was made without any input from those that advocate for
| 17 | | the needs of individuals with disabilities and the elderly; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Each person with a disability in the Home Services | 19 | | Program saves Illinois Medicaid at least $17,000 a year by | 20 | | living in the community instead of a nursing home; and
|
| | | 09900SR0342 Enrolled | - 3 - | LRB099 11631 GRL 34647 r |
|
| 1 | | WHEREAS, Each senior living independently with support | 2 | | from the Community Care Program saves Illinois Medicaid | 3 | | approximately $24,000 a year by living in the community instead | 4 | | of a nursing home; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, Each resident residing in a nursing home with | 6 | | support
from the State's Medicaid Long Term Care Program saves | 7 | | Illinois
taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars by | 8 | | preventing
unnecessary emergency room and hospital visits; and | 9 | | WHEREAS, Thousands of workers in the Home Services Program, | 10 | | the Community Care Program, and Illinois nursing homes would be | 11 | | left without employment when consumers are made ineligible; | 12 | | therefore, be it
| 13 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL | 14 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we state our opposition | 15 | | to the proposed change of the Determination of Need score | 16 | | minimum threshold from 29 to 37, which would result in | 17 | | thousands of people with disabilities and seniors being left | 18 | | without critical support for activities of daily living in | 19 | | their own homes and access to critical medical care in nursing
| 20 | | homes; and be it further
| 21 | | RESOLVED, That we urge the Governor and the Illinois | 22 | | Department of Human Services to withdraw any and all plans to |
| | | 09900SR0342 Enrolled | - 4 - | LRB099 11631 GRL 34647 r |
|
| 1 | | amend the Medicaid State plan to change the Determination of | 2 | | Need score requirements; and be it further | 3 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 4 | | delivered to the Governor and the Secretary of Human Services.
|
|