Summary
Total cases receiving Public Assistance in Illinois climbed 139,689 cases (215,316 persons) in March 2022 from March 2021. Aided cases numbered 2,218,264 (3,570,557 persons) in March 2022, up 7.59% from year-earlier totals.
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)
- Total TANF Benefits: There were 27,606 TANF cases (76,195 persons) in March 2022, up 151 cases and up 164 persons from February 2022. The caseload 3.27% lower than the March 2021 total.
- TANF-Basic: In March 2022, TANF-Basic (primarily single-parent) families decreased, from February 2022, by 221 cases (508 persons) for a total of 25,881 cases (68,239 persons).
- Two-Parent Cases: Two-parent cases increased in March 2022 by 70 cases (344 persons) from February 2022 for a total of 1,725 cases (7,956 persons).
- Approvals: There were 1,063 assistance approvals this month, including 640 new grants (down 68 since February 2022) and 229 reinstatements (down 47 since February 2022). A reinstatement is defined as approval of any case that was active within the previous 24 months.
- TANF Cancelled due to earnings: In March 2022 there were 257 cases cancelled due to earnings from new employer or increased earnings from an existing employer.
- Total Grant amount: $12,824,203 was the total in March 2022. This is $537,752 more than the total in February 2022. March 2022 shows a 2.37% increase from March 2021.
Assistance to the Aged, Blind or Disabled (AABD)
The total number of AABD Cash cases in March 2022 was down 579 cases or -3.07% from the number of cases a year earlier.
- AABD Case Details: AABD Cash cases decreased by 29 cases in March 2022 from February 2022 for a total of 18,295 cases. This total includes 8,795 persons who qualified for Old Age Assistance; 137 persons who qualified for Blind Assistance; and 9,363 persons who qualified for Disability Assistance. The total grant amount shows a 3.95% increase from February 2022 ($2,314,245) to March 2022 ($2,405,559).
Medical Assistance - No Grant (MANG)
March 2022 had a program total of 2,070,325 cases (3,337,243 persons). Of the total MANG cases, there were 77,546 cases (129,184 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 March 2022 show an 8.35% increase (159,478 cases) since March 2021.
- MANG: MANG recipients represent 93.33% of total cases and 93.47% of total persons in March 2022. In March 2021, MANG recipients represented 91.93% of total cases.
- Family Health Plans: In March 2022, families increased by 4,943 to 822,255 cases from totals in February 2022. Persons also increased 12,278 in March 2022 to 2,047,283 persons.
- ACA Adult: ACA Adult saw an increase of 5,930 cases from February 2022 for a total of 872,821 cases in March 2022. Persons increased by 5,974 for a March 2022 total of 901,905 persons.
- AABD Clients: AABD customers who were categorically qualified for Medical Only, increased .45% in March 2022 from February 2022 to 375,249 cases.
- Foster Care: Foster Care Assistance totals were not available at the time of this report.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- SNAP Assistance was given to 1,084,042 Illinois households (2,010,636 persons) in March 2022. This is a decrease of 833,010 households from March 2021 levels.
- A total of 102,038 households (138,824 persons) received SNAP with no other assistance in March 2022. This is a decrease of 18,276 households from March 2021 levels.
- The total SNAP assistance amount for March 2022 was $513,173,991. This is a decrease of $234,834,853* from March 2021.
FISCAL YEAR 2022 SUMMARY OF CASES AND PERSONS AS OF MARCH 2022
| PROGRAM |
CASES |
PERSONS |
| TANF |
27,606 |
76,195 |
| AABD Cash |
18,295 |
18,295 |
| Family Health Plans |
822,255 |
2,047,283 |
| AABD MANG |
375,249 |
388,055 |
| ACA |
872,821 |
901,905 |
| SNAP with no other assistance |
102,038 |
138,824 |
| Foster Care |
N/A |
N/A |
| Refugees Cash & Medical |
562 |
562 |
| Total |
2,218,826 |
3,571,119 |
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 February 2022, an estimated 92,643 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 February, an estimated 4,036 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 February 2022, there were 179 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 3,876 households in shelters during the January through March 2022 Quarter. Of those, 547 were households with children.
- The Emergency Food Program served 208,342 households (duplicative) in March 2022.
- The Homeless Prevention Program helps families in existing homes and helps others secure affordable housing. During the January-March 2022 quarter, 924 households were served. Of those, 405 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 January-March 2022 quarter, 802,357 nights of Supportive Housing were provided.
- The New Americans Initiative funds the provision of English language, civics and U.S. history instruction as well as application services. This program has served 4,235 clients in March 2022.
- Of the refugees served, 142 received employment services, and 75% of the clients entering employment were still employed 90 days later from January - March 2022.
- The Outreach and Interpretation project assures access to IDHS benefits. This program has served 4,049 in March 2022.
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 1,132 families/customers during the January-March 2022 quarter.
- The Estimated Donated Funds Initiative aided 2,576 customers with 35,516 rides provided for Senior's during the January-March 2022 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 |
February 2022 |
SFY 2021 Average |
SFY 2020 Average |
| Referrals |
3,176 |
2,747 |
2,813 |
| Active IFSP's |
21,254 |
17,814 |
22,474 |
| 0-3 Participation Rate |
7.25% |
6.25% |
10.41% |
| Under 1 Participation Rate |
1.16% |
0.93% |
1.30% |
| % With Medicaid |
51.50% |
50.48% |
51.2% |
| % With Insurance |
40.00% |
39.78% |
38.8% |
| % With Fees |
31.00% |
28.96% |
28.8% |
What's New in EI
The Bureau is ramping up 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.
Early Intervention will begin to provide services to children after they turn three years old if they are eligible for the Early Intervention/Extended Services Program (EI/ES). This option for extended services through Part C to children over age three applies only if the child:
- has been determined eligible for early intervention, and
- has their third birthday between May 1 and August 31 and
- has been found eligible for early childhood special education services under IDEA and Section 14-8.02 of Public Act 102-0209 (Section 11h) and created an Individualized Education Program (IEP).
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 February 2021 |
| Pregnant Women |
12,928 |
| Breastfeeding Women |
11,430 |
| Postpartum Women |
10,232 |
| Infants |
42,332 |
| Children |
75,049 |
| Total |
151,971 |
What's New in WIC
It has been 2 years now since the new WIC Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) implementation was implemented in March 2020. WIC staff have been continuing to work 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 continued to review and resolve I-WIC system documentation and related issues with the Vendor, Administration, and Nutrition modules. The most exciting news has been the increase in the dollar value of the fruit and vegetable benefits provided to WIC participants. Started in June 2021 as a temporary increase, it has now been extended through September 2022 and allows participants to receive significantly more fresh fruits and vegetables through their Cash Value Benefit (CVB) on their EBT card. Clients have welcomed the increase and it has improved their intake of these nutritious foods.
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 February 2022.
|
Total |
| Cook County |
12,444 |
| Downstate |
23,112 |
| Statewide |
35,556 |
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.
