Title XX Social Services (DFI)
Program Manual FY23
Introduction
Donated Funds Initiative (DFI)
Definitions
Introduction
The United States Congress created the Title XX Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) in 1981 as part of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. Lawmakers believed that by creating the Title XX Social Services Block Grant, states would be able to tailor social service programming to their populations' needs.
Federal Law establishes five broad goals for the SSBG. Social services funded by States/Territories must be linked to one or more of these statutory goals:
- Achieving or maintaining economic self-support to prevent, reduce or eliminate dependency;
- Achieving or maintaining self-sufficiency, including reduction or prevention of dependency;
- Preventing or remedying neglect, abuse or exploitation of children and adults unable to protect their own interests or preserving, rehabilitating or reuniting families;
- Preventing or reducing inappropriate institutional care by providing for community-based care, home-based care or other forms of less intensive care; and
- Securing referral or admission for institutional care when other forms of care are not appropriate or providing services to individuals in institutions.
The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) is the lead agency for the Title XX Social Services Block Grant Program in Illinois. The IDHS has administrative responsibility to ensure that all federal requirements are met. Mandates include planning, reporting, audit, public participation, and identification of activities that may not be supported with Block Grant funds. A network of state agencies and public and private social service providers utilize the Title XX Social Services Block Grant. The five state agencies that make up the Title XX Social Services Block Grant services linkage include the Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of Corrections, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Aging, and the Department of Public Health.
Within IDHS, the Bureau of Basic Supports, Office of Adult Services and Basic Supports (Bureau) is responsible for the administration of the Title XX Social Services Block Grant.
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Donated Funds Initiative (DFI)
The State established the Donated Funds Initiative in Fiscal Year 1978 to encourage cooperative social service delivery efforts between local public/private providers and state government. The DFI Program is a "match" program meaning community entities that receive DFI funding must match the DFI funding with locally generated funds. The required match is 25 percent of the total award. The State's Title XX Social Services Block Grant allocation provides the remaining 75 percent of the total award. Through the use of locally generated funds, services can be expanded without the investment of additional state or federal funds. Examples of matching funds are provider's other resources allocated to the services, local taxes, or certification of expenditures by local government.
IDHS has Uniform Grant Agreements with providers for the delivery of a wide range of services for people who are elderly, people with developmental disabilities, neglected children and adults, children who are at risk, people with physical disabilities, ex-offenders and victims of domestic violence. IDHS receives the appropriated funds and allocates funds for services. All DFI Uniform Grant Agreements are between IDHS and the service providers. Through the Interagency Agreements, the Department on Aging, the Department of Children and Family Services, Corrections, Human Services and Public Health: identify service priorities, recommend community-based agencies for funding, and assist IDHS with providing technical assistance to DFI service providers to ensure service priorities are followed.
Within IDHS, the Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery, Division of Mental Health, Division of Developmental Disabilities, Division of Rehabilitation Services, and the Division of Family and Community Services identify service priorities and recommend community-based agencies for DFI funding. Staff members within IDHS also provide assistance to the Bureau of Basic Supports - Title XX with respect to the drawdown of federal monies, federal financial reporting and in providing technical assistance to providers.
Providers are reimbursed from the Local Initiative Fund. This fund is part of the annual appropriation to IDHS. For DFI, Requests for Reimbursement with supportive reports are submitted to IDHS at the 100 percent level and reimbursed at 75 percent. Providers/donors contribute 25 percent to meet the matching funds requirement.
The following is a listing of services funded by DFI.
- Case Coordination
- Community Maintenance
- Comprehensive Youth Development
- Employability Development
- Family Support
- School-Based Health Care
- Outpatient Treatment
- Protective Intervention
- Rehabilitation and Training for People with Disabilities
- Rehabilitation and Treatment for Substance Abuse
- Social Adjustment and Rehabilitation
- Transportation
- Treatment and Habilitation
- Unmarried Parents Counseling
Availability of Title XX Social Services Block Grant, Donated Funds Initiative funding is contingent upon annual federal award and appropriation authority approved by the Illinois General Assembly and the Governor.
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DEFINITIONS
Following is a listing of terms used throughout the Program Manual that may be of assistance in implementing requirements of the DFI.
CARS [Note: Cars was replaced with SAP/ERP as of State FY22]
The Consolidated Accounting Reporting System (CARS) is the Illinois Department of Human Services' integrated accounting and financial information system. CARS has been customized for IDHS to accomplish the following main objectives:
- Provide the ability to process, track, and report accounting activity.
- Facilitate reporting requirements.
- Facilitate decision-making by IDHS management.
- Offer easy-access windows-based features.
- Interface information from other IDHS systems to record the respective accounting events.
SAP/ERP
The System Analyst Program/Enterprise Reserve Program (SAP/ERP) is the accounting system that is replacing CARS as of State FY22. The SAP/ERP system has been customized for IDHS to accomplish the same main objectives as CARS.
Donated Funds Initiative Request for Reimbursement
This is the standard form used to submit invoices by organizations with DFI Uniform Grant Agreements.
Certified Public Expenditures
These are expenditures for social services that are certified as such by a public agency, pursuant to the contractual agreement, in order to be considered as a portion of the State's share of social services expenditures.
C-13 Invoice-Voucher
The C-13 Invoice-Voucher is the standard form used by IDHS to make payments to organizations with agreements to provide approved residential services.
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Community Outreach Plan
This plan includes a detailed description for notifying the community of the program, hours of operation, and admittance/eligibility requirements into the programs(s) they administer for IDHS. IDHS must approve any publication and distribution of flyers, printed materials and brochures that are part of the IDHS funded program. All contractors must have a referral process that assists program participants with enrollment into public benefit programs such as TANF, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), AllKids, medical and disability assistance, as well as other resources that address the needs of the population targeted for service. A record of referrals made to and from IDHS must be maintained. This information is reported as required.
Uniform Grant Agreement (UGA)
(Note: The UGA is used to refer to all Grant agreements with IDHS. Non-Grant agreements would be considered Administrative Contracts.)
The Uniform Grant Agreement is the standard legal boilerplate used by IDHS and approved by the Illinois Office of the Comptroller to purchase social services from private and public community-based organizations or units of local government. The agreement is signed by the provider and the Secretary of IDHS.
Reports which will be completed by service providers quarterly reporting the actual numbers of clients served and the actual contracted services provided during each quarter of the State Fiscal Year. In addition, the report summarizes performance indicators that measure the degree to which providers have achieved their identified program goals. This report is shown as Exhibit IV. Additionally, a Demographic Report must be completed each quarter.
Fixed Rate Grant
Title XX Social Services Block Grant Donated Funds Initiative is a fixed rate grant program for which the payments are made on the basis of a rate or actual allowable cost incurred pursuant to a statement or invoice as required by IDHS.
Group Service
Group service is any activity, therapy, counseling, or regimen of treatment involving a participant to a counselor ratio greater than 1:1.
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Individual Service
Individual Service is any activity, therapy, counseling, or regimen of treatment involving a participant to a counselor ratio of 1:1.
In-Kind Contributions
The value of third-party non-cash contributions provided for directly benefiting the program. In-kind may consist of donated services, goods, property and equipment.
20 ILCS 105/4.06 requires the Illinois Department on Aging (IDoA) to prepare an annual report on all programs and services provided to "Minority Senior Citizens" to the Governor and the General Assembly. The IDHS, along with other state agencies, must submit information on program/service participation of minority senior citizens to the IDoA. At the end of the fiscal year, the Department will ask each provider to report these statistics on the persons served through the DFI program during the fiscal year.
For the purposes of this report, the definition of a senior citizen is a person 55 years of age or older. The reporting categories are African American, Hispanic, Asian American, American Indian or Alaskan Native and Caucasian (Caucasian category included for comparison purposes).
Program Plan
The DFI program plan describes the anticipated service levels, and budget that providers will implement for the DFI grant award. The provider is required to comply with all of the conditions and provisions of the program plan.
Provider
A provider is a public agency or private community-based organization under a contractual agreement with the Illinois Department of Human Services to deliver specific social services to a target population.
Public Agencies
A public agency defined at 50 ILCS 25/2 9 (a); it currently means "the various counties, townships, cities, villages and incorporated towns, school districts, sanitary districts, boards of education, park districts, housing authorities, public building commissions, or any other municipal corporation or governmental agencies of the State, now or hereafter created, whether herein specifically enumerated or not."
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Title XX Social Services Block Grant Projected Expenditure Report
Federal requirements that Illinois must meet in order to receive the Title XX allocation include submitting the Title XX Social Services Block Grant Projected Expenditure Report. It must be submitted to the federal Department of Health and Human Services thirty (30) days prior to the beginning of the state fiscal year, July 1. The report is the State's plan for social services provided under the Title XX Social Services Block Grant. The report projects the number of adults, seniors and children to be served, expenditures to be incurred, and describes each service and target population.
Title XX Social Services Block Grant Expenditure Report
The second required federal programmatic report is the Title XX Social Services Block Grant Expenditure Report, which must be submitted six (6) months after the end of the state fiscal year in the case of Illinois or prior to the beginning of the new fiscal year for some other states. The Expenditure Report provides the actual data which can be compared to projections. The federal financial report (FFR) is submitted by the DHS budget office.
Total Award
The total award for the Donated Funds Initiative is comprised of two parts, 25% local match required by state rule and the 75% funding commitment from DHS. The matching funds must be identified before the state commits to funding. The Total Award is also referred to as the 100% level of funding.
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