Quick Update/Clarification: Medicaid Re-D and ISCs One of the missions of The Arc of Illinois is to provide correct and current information that is vital to the community serving individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. The Arc of IL hosts many trainings throughout the year and holds it’s large convention every April. This April, a... Read more »
This is a busy week in Springfield! CALLS TO ACTION: Support Sexual Health, Sexual Safety Education Call your legislators to support HB 3299, which requires access to sexual health, sexual education and sexual safety training for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities living in CILAs, ICFDDs and SODCs.Here is a fact sheet from theIllinois Guardianship... Read more »
Support Investments in Community Living Please take a minute or two to fill out a witness slip in support of “Rate Increase Legislation,” which includes our bill – SB 1148 – that will raise wages for DSPs. The Senate Appropriations I Committee meets Wednesday, May 8 to conduct a “Subject Matter Hearing” to consider all... Read more »
State Legislature Starts Back This Week! This week, the state legislators return to Springfield for a marathon six weeks of budget and other legislative negotiation. Priority for them will be revenue bills (cannabis, progressive income tax, sports gambling) and the budget. Today, this morning the Arc’s customized employment bill passed unanimously out of the Senate... Read more »
Below is from the Arc of the United States about federal advocacy: Medicaid/LTSS: President Signs MFP Extension On April 18, President Trump signed the Medicaid Services Investment and Accountability Act of 2019 (H.R.1839) into law. This bill adds an additional $20 million for the Money Follows the Person (MFP) program through September 30, 2019. MFP... Read more »
As we head into the holiday weekend/week and next week’s Arc Convention, we wanted to share a quick update and call to action. Call, visit, email, tweet your state legislators while they are on Spring Break! You have 10 more days before state legislators return for the last big push of the Legislative Session. This... Read more »
NEW! Secretary Grace Hou to Speak at Arc Convention, April 24! Join Us! Register here. Save the Date for the Going Home Rally May 16 – Inclusion First! State Legislation The DPS wage bill was heard this morning in a subject matter hearing in the House Appropriations Committee. With more than 2,500 slips, the effort... Read more »
State Updates Homebased Service Agreement – Thanks to those who offered insight to the draft service agreement for those in homebased. Based on the concerns raised through the stakeholder input process, the Division of Developmental Disabilities is placing the Draft Information Bulletin revising the HBS Service Agreement process on hold indefinitely. ISC NOFO Legislation/Resolution As you might... Read more »
FEDERAL CMS Releases SMDL on HCBS Settings and Heightened Scrutiny March 22, CMS released a State Medicaid Director Letter that provides new and additional guidance regarding how states should assess settings for compliance with the requirements around community integration that were included in the 2014 Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Regulation. The letter touches upon... Read more »
We have been in Springfield this week talking about the many bills that could impact the lives of people with disabilities. Next week is committee deadlines for the House (this week was the Senate) so I would expect it to be a busy week since it is a make or break time for many bills... Read more »