Illinois expects to receive more than $1.3 billion in settlement monies by 2038, to be used in all parts of the state to abate the opioid crisis. The Illinois Attorney General, along with those of other states, sued prescription opioid distributors, manufacturers, and dispensers to seek recovery for their unfair and deceptive practices. These lawsuits led to numerous multistate settlement agreements.
The Illinois Opioid Settlements Initiative website is an essential new tool for providers and the interested public. The website will maintain up-to-date information from the Illinois Department of Human Services/Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery (IDHS/SUPR) on the disbursement of the funds. IDHS/SUPR seeks to ensure that approved abatement strategies and spending will support recovery in communities hardest hit by the opioid crisis and throughout the state.
This new website aims to bring transparency to the spending of settlement funds. Each time you visit, you can find the following information:
- Which lawsuits have been settled, and how much Illinois expects to receive
- How much grant funding has been awarded, and to which organizations
- Which specific abatement uses have been approved by the Governor's Opioid Overdose Prevention and Recovery Steering Committee, and the amount of funding available
- How much money remains unallocated in the Remediation Trust Fund
The website also serves as a central location for NOFOs that will be issued regularly by the Regional Care Coordination Agency established by IDHS/SUPR to administer and distribute funding for approved opioid abatement uses. The first NOFO will be posted in early December.
Finally, the Illinois Opioid Settlements Initiative website provides resources on implementing programs and services identified in the State of Illinois Overdose Action Plan and the Illinois Opioid Allocation Agreement; the latter governs the approved uses of opioid settlement funding. Visit the Illinois Opioid Settlements Initiative website for funding opportunities and information on Illinois opioid settlement funds.
