SR0342sam001 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0342SAM001 LRB099 11631 GRL 36118 a

AMENDMENT TO SENATE RESOLUTION 342

AMENDMENT NO. ___. Amend Senate Resolution 342 by replacing everything after the heading with the following:

"WHEREAS, On February 18, 2015, Governor Bruce Rauner's administration released its proposal for the Fiscal Year 2016 State budget; and

WHEREAS, On that day, the Illinois Department of Human Services announced that it intended to save money by making it more difficult to enter the Division of Rehabilitative Services Home Services Program by changing the minimum threshold for eligibility; the Illinois Department on Aging and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services also announced that it intended to save money by making it more difficult to enter the Community Care Program, Supportive Living Facilities, and nursing homes by changing the minimum threshold for eligibility consistent with the change announced by the Department of Human Services; and

WHEREAS, The prior threshold for service was a score of 29 on the Determination of Need Assessment; the new proposed threshold for service would be a score of 37 on the Determination of Need Assessment; and

WHEREAS, The current Determination of Need minimum of 29 covers people with disabilities and seniors who are in need of help in critical areas of daily living; and

WHEREAS, The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services would carry the administrative responsibility for creating the change by seeking federal approval to amend 2 1915 (C) Home and Community-Based Services Waivers to change the Determination of Need Assessment score requirement; and

WHEREAS, Changing the score from 29 to 37 would immediately eliminate 10,000 people with disabilities from the Home Services Program; changing the score would also prevent 16,000 seniors from becoming eligible for Medicaid waiver service in the next year, and 21,000 more would be eliminated in reassessment in the next year; and

WHEREAS, The members of this body find it unconscionable to deny tens of thousands of people with disabilities and seniors the opportunity to receive vital care and support services; and

WHEREAS, The proposed change to the Determination of Need score was made without any input from those that advocate for the needs of individuals with disabilities and the elderly; and

WHEREAS, Each person with a disability in the Home Services Program saves Illinois Medicaid at least $17,000 a year by living in the community instead of a nursing home; and

WHEREAS, Each senior living independently with support from the Community Care Program saves Illinois Medicaid approximately $24,000 a year by living in the community instead of a nursing home; and

WHEREAS, Each resident residing in a nursing home with support from the State's Medicaid Long Term Care Program saves Illinois taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars by preventing unnecessary emergency room and hospital visits; and

WHEREAS, Thousands of workers in the Home Services Program, the Community Care Program, and Illinois nursing homes would be left without employment when consumers are made ineligible; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we state our opposition to the proposed change of the Determination of Need Score minimum threshold from 29 to 37, which would result in thousands of people with disabilities and seniors being left without critical support for activities of daily living in their own homes and access to critical medical care in nursing homes; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the Governor and the Illinois Department of Human Services to withdraw any and all plans to amend the Medicaid State plan to change the Determination of Need score requirements; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the Governor and the Secretary of Human Services.".