DHS/HFS Staff Outside the FCRCs/AKU

History of IES: 2013 - 2020
What you Need to Know

History of IES: 2013 - 2020

The Integrated Eligibility System (IES) and Application for Benefits Eligibility (ABE) customer self-service web portal transformed the way we work with Medicaid, SNAP and TANF customers. Below you will find information on the stages of the project, what we've accomplished through each phase, training materials for IES, and how to gain access to the system as needed for work functions.

2018 - 2020 IES Enhancements - Expanded ABE Customer and Provider Portal Capabilities

We have continued to expand capabilities and enhancements and correct any problems identified in the System. In addition, ABE has expanded their Provider Portal to include functionality for hospitals and long term care providers. Hospitals enrolled in IMPACT can now use the ABE Partner Portal to submit a Report of Birth for babies born to mothers on IL Medicaid or "Deemed Newborns". When a case in successfully certified a RIN is instantly generated and migrates to MMIS within 48 business hours. Customers can also use their Manage My Case accounts to submit newborn birth reports as well. Authorized Long Term Care providers through their Partner Portal account can now securely submit necessary documentation to the State on changes in income, resources and TPL, as well as redeterminations or other relevant documents through ABE.

Phase 2, October 24, 2017: Case Maintenance - ABE Manage My Case - ABE Appeals - Task Based Operation- Legacy System Retirement

On October 24, 2017, the State implemented case maintenance functionality in IES and retired many of its legacy systems. In addition, the ABE web portal expanded with new Manage My Case service offerings to allow customers to renew their benefits on-line, report case changes, view notices and understand the status of their benefits. Customers associated with a range of benefit programs are able to use ABE to file and manage Appeal requests as well. The Provider Portal also added new functionality. FCRCs completed the shift to mostly non-specialized, task-based business operations. Workers no longer are responsible for a case load. Instead, the entire office works together to complete casework tasks and serve customers in their community.

Phase 1, October 1, 2013: ACA Eligibility Rules - Initial Eligibility Determination - ABE Application Portal - ABE Provider Portal

Phase 1 of IES launched October 1, 2013, to coincide with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA introduced new Medicaid eligibility requirements and significantly increased the number of covered individuals. Our legacy computer systems were not capable of handling the new rules or increased volume. The federal government made funds available to States to upgrade their computer systems to meet those challenges.

Since October 2013, IES has been used to process all new applications for Medicaid, SNAP and TANF. In addition, the State introduced the ABE, Application for Benefits Eligibility, (abe.illinois.gov) customer web portal, where new customers can apply for benefits and upload proof documentation. The Provider and Partner Portals also launched at this time. Partners trained to assist in completing applications for the new ACA adult population were able to tally their assistance, and All Kids Assistance (AKA) Providers and Medical Presumptive Eligibility (MPE) Providers were able to submit and track application for their customers.

What you Need to Know

With the implementation of Phase 2 of IES, some state staff using PACIS transitioned to IES to do their work. Below is information on what to do if you and/or your team need IES access in order to complete work functions.

Access to IES

The IES Implementation Team met with and gathered information from organizational leadership (e.g. Bureau Chiefs/Section Managers/Division Administrators), to understand how teams would interact with IES in Phase 2. This information determined the level of access different user groups have in IES and what training is needed to support that access.

If you are an organization area lead and you think your group needs access to IES contact HFS.PACISTransition@illinois.gov and someone from the IES Access and Support Team will contact you. If you are a new employee of a work group currently accessing IES you will need to complete access request forms.

DHS Employees: Complete the IL444-4052 Online Transaction Access Request Form, submit to you Supervisor for final signatures who will forward to your System Monitor or LAN Coordinator.
HFS Employees: Complete the HFS1706G IES Access Request Form including Supervisor, Division and Bureau signatures, submit to HFS.TechSupport@illinois.gov

Training on IES

To help you to use IES, we have developed training tools. Depending on how you use IES, there are Training Roadmaps to help you prepare for and become familiar with IES. Each Roadmap contains the training curriculum that is offered for your work group with links to materials. Some work groups use IES only to do research or conduct inquiries, some work groups complete tasks in IES like processing appeals or processing overpayments, and still others are able to complete limited case actions.

The Computer Based Tutorials (CBTs) will provide all users with information needed to navigate in IES and understand the information you find. Some groups, like Appeals, LOTS and OIG, will have additional targeted materials to assist them.

IES Computer Based Tutorials

IES Computer Based Tutorials (CBTs) are self-paced learning courses that introduce you to IES functionality and concepts. Refer to your Training Roadmap to see which CBTs are recommended for your user group. While you can take more CBTs than recommended, the material in some CBTs are geared toward other work functions and you may not have all the functional capabilities referenced in the CBT. You can return to these CBTs for a knowledge refresher as needed.

IES Training Roadmaps

IES Support

Many more materials, including Troubleshooting Guides, instructions for customers on how to set up and use Manage My Case, and other helpful materials are posted to the DHS and HFS webpages and linked from here.

Please do not hesitate to contact the IES Access and SupportTeam with any questions or concerns you may have at: HFS.PacisTransition@illinois.gov