Summary
Total cases receiving Public Assistance in Illinois climbed 174,943 cases (270,797 persons) in September 2021 from September 2020. Aided cases numbered 2,127,240 (3,436,766 persons) in September 2021, up 8.96% from year-earlier totals.
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)
- Total TANF Benefits: There were 26,006 TANF cases (70,185 persons) in September 2021, up 188 cases and 682 persons from August 2021. The caseload was .73% lower than the September 2020 total.
- TANF-Basic: In September 2021, TANF-Basic (primarily single-parent) families increased, from August 2021, by 168 cases (591 persons) for a total of 24,613 cases (63,921 persons).
- Two-Parent Cases: Two-parent cases increased in September 2021 by 20 cases (91 persons) from August 2021 for a total of 1,393 cases (6,264 persons).
- Approvals: There were 1,702 assistance approvals this month, including 900 new grants (up 220 since August 2021) and 184 reinstatements (down 17 since August 2021). A reinstatement is defined as approval of any case that was active within the previous 24 months.
- TANF Cancelled due to earnings: In September 2021 there were 133 cases cancelled due to earnings from new employer or increased earnings from an existing employer.
- Total Grant amount: $11,160,592 was the total in September 2021. This is $323,954 more than the total in August 2021. This increase is due to Pandemic Emergency Assistance Funds being issued as noted in the following policy memo. (http://intranet.dhs.illinois.gov/onenet/page.aspx?item=135481) September 2021 shows an 8.57% decrease from September 2020.
Assistance to the Aged, Blind or Disabled (AABD)
The total number of September 2021 AABD Cash cases was down 1,552 cases or -7.89% from the number of cases a year earlier.
- AABD Case Details: AABD Cash cases increased by 21 cases in September 2021 from August 2021 for a total of 18,123 cases. This total includes 8,785 persons who qualified for Old Age Assistance; 119 persons who qualified for Blind Assistance; and 9,219 persons who qualified for Disability Assistance. The total grant amount shows a 2.71% increase from August 2021 ($2,162,865) to September 2021 ($2,221,477).
Medical Assistance - No Grant (MANG)
September 2021 had a program total of 1,985,882 cases (3,217,173 persons). Of the total MANG cases, there were 78,333 cases (131,830 MANG persons) in All Kids, Disabled Workers, Breast and Cervical Cancer, Veteran Care, Medically Fragile Technology Dependent, and Department of Corrections programs. Overall, MANG cases in September 2021 show a 11.02% increase (197,136 cases) since September 2020.
- MANG: MANG recipients represent 93.35% of total cases and 93.61% of total persons in September 2021. In September 2020, MANG recipients represented 91.62% of total cases.
- Family Health Plans: Families increased in September 2021 by 4,753 to 797,369 cases from totals in August 2021. Persons also increased 12,276 in September 2021 to 1,989,209 persons.
- ACA Adult: ACA Adult saw an increase of 6,585 cases from August 2021 for a total of 826,834 cases in September. Persons increased by 6,682 for a September 2021 total of 854,670 persons.
- AABD Clients: AABD customers who were categorically qualified for Medical Only, increased 0.41% in September 2021 from August 2021 to 361,679 cases.
- Foster Care: Foster Care Assistance totals were not available at the time of this report.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Child Care Pandemic EBT (PEBT) began being issued in June 2021. http://intranet.dhs.illinois.gov/onenet/page.aspx?item=135548
- SNAP Assistance was given to 1,037,022 Illinois households (1,868,225 persons) in September 2021. This is an increase of 64,794 households from September 2020 levels.
- A total of 97,229 households (131,285 persons) received SNAP with no other assistance in September 2021. This is a decrease of 19,057 households from September 2020 levels.
- The total SNAP assistance amount for September 2021 was $522,862,087. This is an increase of $90,272,699* from September 2020.
FISCAL YEAR 2022 SUMMARY OF CASES AND PERSONS AS OF September 2021
| PROGRAM |
CASES |
PERSONS |
| TANF |
26,006 |
70,185 |
| AABD Cash |
18,123 |
18,123 |
| Family Health Plans |
797,369 |
1,989,209 |
| AABD MANG |
361,679 |
373,294 |
| ACA |
826,834 |
854,670 |
| SNAP with no other assistance |
97,229 |
131,285 |
| Foster Care |
N/A |
N/A |
| Refugees Cash & Medical |
103 |
103 |
| TOTAL |
2,127,343 |
3,436,869 |
Child Care1
Child Care Services are available to families with income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. Families must be working or enrolled in approved education or training activities. Families cost-share with co-payments based on income and family size. Services are delivered through a certificate program and a site-administered contract system.
- The Certificate Program eligibility is determined by resource and referral agencies. Parents choose subsidized full or part-time care from any legal care provider that meets their needs. Providers include child-care centers, family homes, group child-care home and in-home and relative care. In August 2021, an estimated 94,940 children were served by certificate.
- The Site-Administered Contract Program serves families through a statewide network of contracted licensed centers and family homes. Families apply for care directly with the contracted providers and eligibility is determined on-site by the provider. In August 2021, an estimated 4,052 children were served by contract.
- The Migrant Head Start Program provides childcare and health and social services for preschool children of migrant and seasonal farm workers. Services are provided by local community-based agencies. In August 2021, there were 166 children enrolled in Migrant and Seasonal Head Start.
Emergency Food, Shelter and Support
Homeless families and individuals receive food, shelter, and support services through local not-for-profit organizations. A "continuum of care" includes emergency and transitional housing and assistance in gaining self-sufficiency and permanent housing.
- The Emergency and Transitional Housing Program served 1,881 households in shelters during the April through June 2021 Quarter. Of those, 144 were households with children.
- The Emergency Food Program served 161,179 households (duplicative) in September 2021.
- The Homeless Prevention Program helps families in existing homes and helps others secure affordable housing. During the April - June 2021 quarter, 2,233 households were served. Of those, 790 were families (Households with children under age 18).
- The Supportive Housing Program funds governments and agencies which serve families and transitional facility residents. In the April - June 2021 quarter, 883,441 nights of Supportive Housing were provided.
- The Refugee and Immigrant Citizenship Initiative funds the provision of English language, civics and U.S. history instruction as well as application services. This program has served 1,416 clients in July 2021. Updated numbers not available at the time of this report.
- Of the refugees served, 399 received employment services, and 71% of the clients entering employment were still employed 90 days later from April - June 2021.
- The Outreach and Interpretation project assures access to IDHS benefits. This program has served 3,390 in July 2021. Updated numbers not available at the time of this report.
Social Service Block Grants
Service funding is provided through the Federal Title XX Social Services Block Grant to manage and monitor contracts which help customers achieve economic self-support and prevent or remedy abuse and neglect.
- Crisis Nurseries served 1,379 families/customers during the July-September 2021 quarter.
- The Estimated Donated Funds Initiative aided 2,212 customers with 41,335 rides provided for Senior's during the July-September 2021 quarter.
Early Intervention (EI)1
The Illinois Early Intervention (EI) program serves infants and toddlers ages birth to 3 years old with developmental delays or disabilities and their family in one or more of the following areas of development: adaptive, cognitive, communication/speech, physical and social emotional. EI is part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part C for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities. Annually, the EI program serves approximately 23,000 children throughout the state and maintains 25 regional intake entities called Child and Family Connections (CFC) offices. CFCs handle referrals, intake and service coordination for infants and toddlers referred to EI and coordinates the eligibility determination process and manages eligible infants and toddlers with Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs)through transition.
Early Intervention services include, but are not limited to developmental evaluations and assessments, communication/speech therapy, developmental therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, service coordination, psychological, and other counseling services, and assistive technology. Evaluations, assessments, service plan development and service coordination are provided to families at no cost. Ongoing EI services are paid for by public insurance (i.e., Medicaid/All Kids), a family's private health insurance, when appropriate, state general revenue and other program funds. Families are assessed a family participation fee based on a sliding scale which considers their ability to pay.
Program Statistics - Early Intervention
| Indicator |
August 2021 |
SFY 2021 Average |
SFY 2020 Average |
| Referrals |
3,054 |
2,747 |
2,813 |
| Active IFSP's |
19,618 |
17,814 |
22,474 |
| 0-3 Participation Rate |
6.69% |
6.25% |
10.41% |
| Under 1 Participation Rate |
1.02% |
0.93% |
1.30% |
| % With Medicaid |
50.9% |
50.48% |
51.2% |
| % With Insurance |
40.0% |
39.78% |
38.8% |
| % With Fees |
30.5% |
28.96% |
28.8% |
What's New in EI
The Bureau is finalizing our State Systemic Improvement Plan to improve child outcomes through two coherent improvement strategies of implementing the Child Outcomes Survey practice with fidelity and to have Family Engagement processes developed, measured, and put into practice. This work aligns with evidence-based services utilizing the Division of Early Childhood's Recommended Practices.
Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)1
The purpose of WIC is to provide nutrition education and counseling, breastfeeding promotion and support, nutritious supplemental foods, and referrals to services for eligible pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, infants, and children to age five. The program has been housed under the Department of Human Services since 1997. To be eligible, participants must be at 185% of the federal poverty level, be a resident of the State of Illinois, and have a nutrition risk.
Program Statistics - WIC
| Eligibility Category |
Clients in August 2021 |
| Pregnant Women |
13,563 |
| Breastfeeding Women |
10,595 |
| Postpartum Women |
9,919 |
| Infants |
42,402 |
| Children |
73,241 |
| Total |
149,720 |
What's New in WIC
The WIC Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) implementation was completed on September 28, 2020. This included the creation of a new management information system called I-WIC that replaced the old Cornerstone system. Since then WIC staff have been working with local WIC agencies to address training and system issues in the Clinic modules in I-WIC that have arisen to ensure a quality customer experience. Central office staff have also been reviewing and resolving I-WIC system training, documentation and related issues with the Vendor, Administration, and Nutrition modules. USDA was very pleased that the Illinois WIC Program was still able to implement WIC EBT during the Covid-19 pandemic meeting the federal mandate.
Family Case Management1
The program target population is low income families (below 200% of the federal poverty level) with a pregnant woman, an infant. The goals of the program are to help women have healthy babies and to reduce the rates of infant mortality and very low birth weight. To achieve these goals the program conducts outreach activities to inform expectant women and new mothers of available services and then assists them with obtaining prenatal and well-childcare. The program works with community agencies to address barriers to accessing medical services, such as childcare, transportation, housing, food, mental health needs and substance abuse services. Services are provided statewide through local Health Departments, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and community-based organizations. Home visits by program staff are provided in the first year of life.
Program Statistics - Family Case Management
Active Participant Counts for June 2021
|
Total |
| Cook County |
11,922 |
| Downstate |
18,782 |
| Statewide |
30,704 |
Of the 30,704 total participants, 24,405 were Medicaid and 6,299 were Non-Medicaid. (Updated statistics for August 2021 were not available at the time of this report)
-Bureau of Program & Performance Management
1 Current month's Child Care, Early Intervention, Women, Infants, and Children, and Family Case Management data is not released until the end of the following month resulting in a one-month lag for this report.
* Increase due to COVID19 - see Policy Memo - http://intranet.dhs.illinois.gov/oneweb/page.aspx?item=123562
