Additional Questions and Answers

  1. The transfer request asks you to provide the address where the transfer packet should be mailed. What transfer packet are you talking about?

    The Division is working with both Fiscal/Employer Agencies (ACES$ and PPL) to do everything possible to ensure a smooth transition. This includes identifying all documents that can be transferred from one Fiscal/Employer Agency to the other. There are some documents, however, that must be completed at the time of the transfer and signed by the individual, guardian, or family member.

    When Public Partnerships (PPL) receives a completed request for an individual, it will send the individual, guardian, or family member a packet of information to complete and return.

  2. Will the Fiscal Employer Agencies contact me directly?

    The Division provided the names and addresses of all individuals in the Home-Based Support Services (HBS) Program to both ACCES$ and PPL. You may be contacted directly to talk about the services they have to offer.

    If you feel you are being pressured or treated inappropriately by a representative from either Fiscal/Employer Agency, the agencies would want to know about that. Please contact that agency directly to inform them of your complaint.

    You may also contact the Division directly with any complaints by calling:

    You may also contact them using a toll free number: (888) 337-5267, but you must ask to be transferred to the Division of Developmental Disabilities.

  3. If I transfer, will I be able to keep the same workers?

    You or your employer of record is responsible to hire and fire your own workers. The Fiscal/Employer Agency you choose should not decide who you hire. If a worker meets the basic qualifications as established by the State of Illinois, either agency should enroll him or her.

  4. If I transfer, will new background checks have to be done for my workers?

    No, since the worker is not changing employers, a new background check is not required. Documentation of the original background check will be transferred. Should it be discovered during the transfer process that a background check was not done at the time of hire due to an error, a background check would be required to correct that situation.

  5. I am hearing that the F/EAs use different State Unemployment Tax (SUTA) rates. Is this true, and if so, why?

    SUTA rates are established by the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). SUTA rates vary from employer to employer. Rates are dependent on how long the person has been an employer and the number of unemployment claims filed by their employees.  For new employers with no history of claims, IDES sets a standard rate that applies until a claims history is established. The new employer rate usually remains in effect for 3 calendar years.

    For 2010, a new employer will have a SUTA rate of 3.35%. For 2010, if an employer has been an employer more than three years, the maximum rate is 5.4% and the minimum is .65%. IDES has not yet set maximum and minimum rates for 2011.

    Depending on the relationship between the employer and each employee, some employers are exempt from SUTA. The exemptions are based on state law. An example of an exempt relationship is a spouse employed by a spouse. In this case the employer is exempt from SUTA and the employee, if they loose their job, is not eligible for unemployment benefits. For more information on SUTA exemptions in state law, please go to the IDES website. For information on exemptions, please click on the "Guide to the Act."

    The cost of SUTA and other mandatory employer taxes are part of the total cost for the personal support services funded through the Home-Bases Support Services (HBS) Program.

    Avenues to Consumer Employer Supports and Services (ACES$) applies an aggregate SUTA rate for all the employers it serves. That means it averages everyone's rates together and applies the same percentage to everyone. In 2010, the SUTA rate applied by ACES$ is 2.35%. More information about tax rates is available on the ACES$ website.

    Public Partnerships, LLC, (PPL), will apply individual employer SUTA rates. For example, if you were a brand new employer in 2010, PPL would apply a 3.35% SUTA rate to the amount of services allotted for personal support work. If you were an employer with more than three years of experience, your rate could vary from 5.4% to .65%. If you are exempt from SUTA, your SUTA rate would be 0.

    These are two different approaches. Both approaches are acceptable. Each F/EA is responsible for paying all of the tax liability for all of the employers for whom they issue payroll. If you would like to learn more about your particular circumstances, you can call either F/EA. If you are an existing employer with three or more years of experience and you want to determine your actual SUTA rate, you may contact ACES$ for this information, since it is currently paying this rate on your behalf.