(20 ILCS 1705/68)
Sec. 68.
CHOICE demonstration program.
(a) The Department may establish a 2-year supported employment demonstration
program entitled Consumers Have Options for Integrated Competitive Employment
(CHOICE). The purpose of CHOICE is to increase opportunities for employment of
persons with disabilities by allowing consumers to decide for themselves what
their job goals are, what services and supports they need to reach these goals,
and where they will obtain them.
(b) A person with a developmental disability who is not already in supported
employment is eligible to apply for assistance under CHOICE. To be considered
eligible the individual must: (i) be able to advocate for himself or herself
or have a capable advocate; (ii) have a job opportunity that he or she is
unable to accept without specific services or supports; (iii) have a job that
may be lost without particular services or supports; or (iv) have a job but
need services or supports to achieve advancement.
(c) An individual selected to participate in the CHOICE demonstration
program must complete an individual plan of services and supports in a manner
as prescribed. The plan shall identify the individual's employment barriers
and employment goals, detail monthly and one-time expenses, and constitute an
agreement between the participant and the CHOICE demonstration program
regarding their mutual responsibilities.
(d) Supports and services fundable by the CHOICE program include those that
will make employment possible and are not being obtained through another
funding source. The following supports or services are fundable: case
management, transportation, readers and interpreters, medical and adaptive
devices, benefits counseling, job coaching, and attendant care. The program
shall be designed to allow creativity and flexibility in the process of
developing solutions to employment barriers.
(e) CHOICE participants shall provide employment information to the
Department in a manner and form as prescribed by the Department for the purpose
of determining how effective CHOICE is in helping them reach their employment
goals. The Department shall report to the General Assembly on the
implementation of this program no later than May 1, 1996 and again on May 1,
1997. The Department shall include in its report the number of CHOICE
participants, the types of supports and services funded, the costs of the
program, and its recommendations for development of new ways for persons with
disabilities to achieve competitive employment and increased independence.
(f) Funding for this demonstration program shall be from appropriations to
the Department, or the Department may seek funding for this program from the
Illinois Planning Council on Developmental Disabilities.
(Source: P.A. 89-67, eff. 6-30-95.)
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