April 2025 - Just the Facts

Summary

In April 2025 Public Assistance cases totaled 2,056,844 (3,185,609 persons) representing an 6.62% decrease from April 2024. Total cases decreased by 145,856 and persons by 290,696.

Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)

  • Total TANF Benefits: There were 27,052 TANF cases (74,309 persons) in April 2025, down 138 cases and down 610 persons from March 2025. The caseload is 0.59% higher than the April 2024 total.
  • TANF-Basic: In April 2025, TANF-Basic (primarily single-parent) families decreased, from March 2025, by 99 cases (decreased by 422 persons) for a total of 24,652 cases (63,294 persons) in April 2025.
  • Two-Parent Cases: Two-parent cases decreased in April 2025 by 39 cases (188 persons) from March 2025 for a total of 2,400 cases (11,015 persons) in April 2025.
  • Approvals: There were 1,657 assistance approvals this month, including 569 new grants (down 378 since March 2025) and 956 reinstatements (up 329 since March 2025). A reinstatement is defined as approval of any case that was active within the previous 24 months.
  • TANF Cancelled due to earnings: In April 2025 there were 175 cases cancelled due to earnings from new employer or increased earnings from an existing employer.
  • Total Grant amount: $16,243,794 was the total in April 2025. This is down $273,879 from the total in March 2025. April 2025 shows a 2.50% increase from April 2024.

Assistance to the Aged, Blind or Disabled (AABD)

The total number of AABD Cash cases in April 2025 is up 171 cases or 0.96% from the number of cases a year earlier.

  • AABD Case Details: AABD Cash cases increased by 52 cases in April 2025 from March 2025 for a total of 17,844 cases. This total includes 8,608 persons who qualified for Old Age Assistance; 177 persons who qualified for Blind Assistance; and 9,059persons who qualified for Disability Assistance. The total grant amount decreased by 1.35% from March 2025 ($3,025,612) to April 2025 ($2,984,605).

Medical Assistance - No Grant (MANG)

April 2025 had a program total of 1,903,262 cases (2,950,165 persons). Of the total MANG cases, there were 31,093 cases (47,136 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 April 2025 show an 7.20% decrease (147,831 cases) since April 2024.

  • MANG: MANG recipients represent 92.53% of total cases and 92.60% of total persons in April 2025. In April 2024, MANG recipients represented 93.11% of total cases.
  • Family Health Plans: In April 2025, families decreased by 6,221 to 747,606 cases from totals in March 2025. Persons decreased 17,550 in April 2025 to 1,749,192 persons.
  • ACA Adult: ACA Adult saw a decrease of 3,988 cases from March 2025 for a total of 759,433 cases in April 2025. Persons decreased by 3,671 for an April 2025 total of 787,512 persons.
  • AABD Clients: AABD customers who were categorically qualified for Medical Only, decreased 1.51% in April 2025 from March 2025 totals to 396,223 cases in April 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 1,036,541 Illinois households (1,882,383 persons) in April 2025. This is a decrease of 30,553 households from April 2024 levels.
  • A total of 108,686 households (143,291 persons) received SNAP with no other assistance in April 2025. This an increase of 1,644 households from April 2024 levels.
  • The total SNAP assistance amount for April 2025 was $372,734,182. This is a decrease of $16,012,832 from April 2024.

SNAP Summary of Cases and Persons April 2025

PROGRAM CASES PERSONS
TANF 27,052 74,309
AABD Cash 17,844 17,844
Family Health Plans 747,606 1,749,192
AABD MANG 396,223 413,461
ACA 759,433 787,512
SNAP with no other assistance 108,686 143,291
Foster Care N/A N/A
Refugees Cash & Medical 3,340 3,340
Total 2,060,184 3,188,949

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. April 2025 numbers not available at time of this publishing.
  • 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 3,234 clients in March 2025. April 2025 numbers not available at time of this publishing.
  • Of the refugees served, 174 received employment services, and 140 of the client's entering employment were still employed 90 days later from January-March 2025.
  • The Outreach and Interpretation project assures access to IDHS benefits. This program served 4,468 in February 2025 and 5,638 in March 2025. April 2025 numbers were not available at tie of this publishing.

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

*March 2025 numbers not available at time of this publishing

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 March 2025

Family Case Management Total
Cook County 14,893
Downstate 25,598
Statewide 40,491

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.