Summary
In 2025 Public Assistance cases totaled 2,071,563 (3,193,308 persons) representing an 7.42% decrease from March 2024. Total cases decreased by 166,193 and persons by 359,533.
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)
- Total TANF Benefits: There were 27,190 TANF cases (74,919 persons) in March 2025, down 142 cases and down 556 persons from February 2025. The caseload is 0.27% lower than the March 2024 total.
- TANF-Basic: In March 2025, TANF-Basic (primarily single-parent) families decreased, from February 2025, by 110 cases (decreased by 483 persons) for a total of 24,751 cases (63,716 persons) in March 2025.
- Two-Parent Cases: Two-parent cases decreased in March 2025 by 32 cases (73 persons) from February 2025 for a total of 2,439 cases (11,203 persons) in March 2025.
- Approvals: There were 1,577 assistance approvals this month, including 947 new grants (down 167 since February 2025) and 627 reinstatements (up 136 since February 2025). A reinstatement is defined as approval of any case that was active within the previous 24 months.
- TANF Cancelled due to earnings: In March 2025 there were 188 cases cancelled due to earnings from new employer or increased earnings from an existing employer.
- Total Grant amount: $16,517,673 was the total in March 2025. This is down $4,699,841 from the total in February 2025. March 2025 shows a 1.86% decrease from March 2024.
Assistance to the Aged, Blind or Disabled (AABD)
The total number of AABD Cash cases in March 2025 is down 232 cases or 1.28% from the number of cases a year earlier.
- AABD Case Details: AABD Cash cases increased by 143 cases in March 2025 from February 2025 for a total of 17,792 cases. This total includes 8,581 persons who qualified for Old Age Assistance; 177 persons who qualified for Blind Assistance; and 9,037 persons who qualified for Disability Assistance. The total grant amount increased by 6.14% from February 2025 ($2,850,564) to March 2025 ($3,025,612).
Medical Assistance - No Grant (MANG)
March 2025 had a program total of 1,919,577 cases (2,977,749 persons). Of the total MANG cases, there were 32,090 cases (48,829 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 2025 show an 7.96% decrease (166,115 cases) since March 2024.
- MANG: MANG recipients represent 92.66% of total cases and 93.24% of total persons in March 2025. In March 2024, MANG recipients represented 93.20% of total cases.
- Family Health Plans: In March 2025, families increased by 220 to 753,827 cases from totals in February 2025. Persons decreased 2,788 in March 2025 to 1,766,742 persons.
- ACA Adult: ACA Adult saw an increase of 4,254 cases from February 2025 for a total of 763,421 cases in March 2025. Persons increased by 5,742 for a March 2025 total of 791,183 persons.
- AABD Clients: AABD customers who were categorically qualified for Medical Only, decreased 0.69% in March 2025 from February 2025 totals to 402,329 cases in March 2025.
- 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 1,049,528 Illinois households (1,908,266 persons) in March 2025. This is a decrease of 33,638 households from March 2024 levels.
- A total of 109,790 households (145,229 persons) received SNAP with no other assistance in March 2025. This an increase of 3,014 households from March 2024 levels.
- The total SNAP assistance amount for March 2025 was $379,008,255. This is a decrease of $12,936,185 from March 2024.
SNAP Summary of Cases and Persons March 2025
| PROGRAM |
CASES |
PERSONS |
| TANF |
27,190 |
74,919 |
| AABD Cash |
17,792 |
17,792 |
| Family Health Plan |
753,827 |
1,766,742 |
| AABD MANG |
402,329 |
419,824 |
| ACA |
763,421 |
791,183 |
| SNAP with no other assistance |
109,790 |
145,229 |
| Foster Care |
N/A |
N/A |
| Refugees Cash & Medical |
1,748 |
1,748 |
| Total |
2,076,097 |
3,217,437 |
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 5,016 households in shelters during the October-December 2024 Quarter. Of those, 703 were households with children. January-March 2025 numbers not available at time of publishing.
- The Emergency Food Program served 316,702 households (duplicative) in February 2025 and 306,739 in March 2025.
- The Homeless Prevention Program helps families in existing homes and helps others secure affordable housing. During the January-March 2025 quarter, 2,357 households were served. Of those, 1,173 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 2025 Quarter, 748,115 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 1,893 clients in February 2025. March 2025 numbers not available at time of this publishing.
- Of the refugees served, 182 received employment services, and 164 of the client's entering employment were still employed 90 days later from October-December 2024. January-March 2025 numbers not available at time of this publishing.
- The Outreach and Interpretation project assures access to IDHS benefits. This program served 4,468 in February 2025 and 5,638 in March 2025.
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 1,585 families/customers during the January-March 2025 quarter.
- The Estimated Donated Funds Initiative aided 2,763 customers with 39,961 rides provided for Senior's during the January-March 2025 quarter.
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 January 2025 |
Clients in February 2025 |
| Pregnant Women |
15,667 |
15,123 |
| Breastfeeding Women |
15,483 |
15,466 |
| Postpartum Women |
8,680 |
8,618 |
| Infants |
44,834 |
43,955 |
| Children |
89,365 |
88,455 |
| Total |
174,029 |
171,617 |
What's New in WIC
It has been 5 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 increase in the dollar value of the fruit and vegetable benefits provided to WIC participants has been extended and the dollar value was enhanced. Started in June 2021 as a temporary increase, it has now been extended through September 2023 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 2025
| Family Case Management |
Total |
| Cook County |
14,852 |
| Downstate |
25,569 |
| Statewide |
40,421 |
Bureau of Program & Performance Management
1Current month's 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.
