Client Assistance Program
The Illinois Client Assistance Program (CAP), established as part of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended by the Workforce and Innovation and Opportunity Act, is a federally funded program designed to help persons with disabilities in understanding and using rehabilitation services. The CAP program was re-designated to EFE effective June 30, 2022. EFE was founded in 1985 and serves as an independent not-for-profit corporation and the protection and advocacy (P&A) agency in Illinois.
EFE's mission is to protect the rights and interests of persons with all types of disabilities, including intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, mental illness, and physical disabilities.
CAP FY23 Highlights
IDHS-DRS worked closely with EFE to assist in a smooth transition and orientation as EFE assumed the responsibilities for managing CAP. CAP provides IDHS-DRS customers with assistance in helping persons with disabilities understand and utilize rehabilitation services.
| Summary of CAP Closures |
Customers |
% of Total |
| All issues resolved in Customer's favor |
29 |
30% |
| Some Issues resolved in Customer's favor |
23 |
24% |
| Customer unresponsive/ uncooperative |
19 |
20% |
| Case lacks Merit for CAP intervention |
8 |
8% |
| Other |
8 |
8% |
| Withdraw complaint/no further intervention needed |
6 |
6% |
| VR Decision Determined Appropriate |
4 |
4% |
| TOTAL |
97 |
100% |
CAP Vision for FY24
Continue to build Independent CAP
The CAP program was redesignated to Equip for Equality effective June 30, 2022. Much of our work in FY2024 will be to build the program by:
- Serving individual customers, with targeted outreach to underserved populations,
- Engaging in strategic planning,
- Continuing to build up our website, materials, and resources, and
- Continuing to collaborate with DRS leadership to identify how CAP and DRS can best serve customers.
Goals for Effectively Serving Individual VR Customers and CIL Consumers
- Serve 50+ individuals under the CAP program,
- Identify trends from our individual representation and bring them to the attention of DRS leadership for discussion, and
- Continue efforts to identify and address barriers to services faced by underserved communities.
Creating Self-Advocacy Materials
- Create and publish additional act sheets on issues including VR services, effective self-advocacy, employment rights under the Title I of the ADA, and transition-related issues.
Outreach/training, including Priority Populations
- Expand outreach efforts to WIPAs and other benefits counselors who work with SII and SSDI,
- Continue trainings about topics including VR services, effective self-advocacy, employment rights under the Title I of the ADA, transition-related issues, and
- Target specific populations for outreach, including:
- Court-Involved Youth
- Individuals with IDD, including individuals living in Community Integrated Living Arrangements (CILAs) or State Operated Developmental Centers (SODCs)
- Individuals with mental health diagnosis
Disability Determination Services
The evaluation of claims for the federal disability program is administered through the Illinois Bureau of Disability Determination Services (BDDS), which determines the eligibility of Illinois citizens to receive benefits under the Social Security Administration's (SSA) disability programs. The BDDS' budget is 100% federally funded by the SSA. Employees at BDDS understand these benefits are crucial for citizens looking to build a secure foundation for their lives.
The mission of the Illinois Bureau of Disability Determination Services (BDDS) is to make accurate, timely disability decisions based on objective medical documentation, and as appropriate, consideration of vocational history, including age, education, and previous work experience.
Each claim received by the IL BDDS is subject to strict Social Security Administration (SSA) requirements for quality control, accuracy measures, confidentiality, and processing time parameters. The final decision on disability is made based on objective evidence by highly trained adjudicators in collaboration with a professional medical consultant.
The IL DDS strives daily to make both accurate and timely decisions for all IL citizens who apply. Each disability application received by the BDDS is thoroughly reviewed employing precise SSA requirements and the disability determination is made utilizing objective evidence coupled with information received from the applicants and those who know them.
DDS FY23 Highlights
BDDS Ranked second in the Chicago region in the Federal Quality Assurance Accuracy Rate in FY 23. Quality is Social Security Administration's highest level of review and is as critical to the integrity of the claim.
| National Rate |
Regional Rate |
Illinois Rate |
| 94.4% |
95% |
96% |
DDS FFY 23 Goals and Outcomes:
GOAL: Recruitment and Retention activities to be able to assist more IL Citizens.
ONGOING: We have begun both this year. We, along with DHS/DRS have recruited 94 new hires with 68 of these hires as trainees. Retention activities include bringing back the Annual Appreciation Reception, along with awards, monthly communicative newsletters sharing highlights of the month from the Deputy Director, and Suggestion Box for suggestions or complaints.
GOAL: Continue with in-house training of new examiners and provide longer one-on-one mentorship until proficiency is gained. Adjudicating a disability case is challenging especially with the ever-changing environment and enhancements to the case processing system.
ONGOING: We have started a mentoring program and have allowed trainees to stay an extra three (3) months together in the training unit instead of placing them in an Adjudicative Section after 6-9 months. Mentors are then available to answer questions and provide one-on-one assistance.
GOAL: Further in-house training to maximize new releases to the new case processing system.
ONGOING: Several enhancements occurred this year to provide efficiencies with the case processing system. Training occurred as necessary. Staff have stated they are still challenged, although more enhancements are helping.
GOAL: Process enough of the case types from the SSA IL Field Offices
MET: IL DDS met all targeted goals for FFY 2023.
| FY 2023 |
Goal |
Actual Clearances |
| Initials |
51,607 |
54,459 |
| Reconsiderations |
14,753 |
15,445 |
| Continuing Disability Reviews |
21,715 |
21,838 |
| Other |
7,754 |
8,169 |
| Total: |
95,829 |
99,911 |
Priorities for FFY24
Continuing Disability Reviews are promoted by SSA as their Integrity Goal for the FFY 2024.In FFY 2024, SSA has given IL DDS goals for the following types of cases:
| Case Type |
Service Goal FY 2024 |
| Initials |
50,253 |
| Reconsiderations |
15,574 |
| Continuing Disability Reviews |
23,039 |
| Other Case Types |
7,787 |
New Program Development for FFY 24:
DDS hopes to have a new Section designed to address various needs of the Bureau including, but not limited to:
- A unit of specialized staff who adjudicate special claim types and adjudicate abandoned backlogs.
- Two units designed to work with examiners who are struggling to meet goals providing intensive review of casework and providing intensive remedial training.
- Supervisor Training Team made up of three SPSA Section Chiefs from Adjudication Services Division, who will:
- present supervisor workshops on topics related specifically to identifying trends in case adjudication and dashboard management,
- how to identify and address inefficient case processing, and
- host workshops geared toward the challenges of working with new trainees.
- Established a new staging dashboard on our case processing system to allow for more efficient re-assignment of claims to adjudicators one day a week.
- Established a new priority assignment dashboard to prioritize claim assignments.
- BDDS is engaged in modernization efforts with team members from DHS, SSA, DDS, DoIT, and SAP. Modernization will improve shift the processing of Medical Records and payments to the Consultative Exam System from a paper driven procedure to an electronic procedure through the Disability Case Processing.
- Process modernization will eliminate approximately 300,000 pieces of paper each year from being printed and stored and will streamline the payment process for employees and vendors.
