Governor's Measure Threatens To Cut Thousands From Critical Program: Residents

Older Illinoisans Testify at House Hearing

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Jun 23, 2015, 12:49 ET

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., June 23, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Thousands of older Illinoisans are at risk of being pushed into costly nursing homes because of Governor Rauner's massive eligibility change to the Illinois Community Care Program – a program that helps to keep older Illinoisans in their homes. Residents and advocates testified today at a hearing of the House of Representatives' Appropriations-Human Services Committee, illustrating the harsh impact of the proposed changes to the Determination of Need (DON) score, urging members of the Committee to establish the DON score into state statute, and urging the Governor to cancel the measure.

The Determination of Need (DON) is a score that determines the extent of an applicant's need for Community Care Program (CCP) services. Historically, individuals with a DON score of 27 or above were eligible for the program. Gov. Rauner has proposed changing that score from 29 to 37, eliminating over 24,000 individuals from the program. These individuals are at risk of being forced into nursing homes – at three times the cost to Illinois taxpayers.

Mary Irvin, 77, receives CCP services in her own home in Jacksonville. The proposed change will basically kick her off the CCP rolls. "Without the programs I receive I will not even be able to get my groceries, go to the doctor, or even get my laundry done," said Mary Irvin as she testified today in the Capitol. "I want to stay in my own home, and I am one like many others who are in the exact same situation and would be gravely affected by these changes."

The proposed changes come on top of other measures recently announced by the Governor that threaten the lives of thousands of older Illinoisans. The amount of proposed cuts to the state's CCP services totals nearly $140 million, with 15,000 older Illinoisans who could be directly affected by them, on top of the 24,000 already threatened by the changes to the DON score.

"These measures affect not just the individuals receiving the programs and services – the community agencies providing those services will also be gravely hit. They may have to lay workers off or shut down altogether, creating a negative ripple effect in countless local economies across Illinois," said AARP Illinois' Associate State Director Lori Hendren, who attended the hearing. "These cuts are not the right way to proceed in order to fix a budget gap. Caring for an individual in a nursing home environment costs triple to taxpayers what it costs to care for the same individual at home. CCP saves taxpayers' money," Hendren added.

AARP, on behalf of its 1.7 million Illinois members has strongly opposed the Governor's proposed cuts and urged him to cancel the emergency rules and protect services that are critical to thousands of older citizens and to the communities where they live.

SOURCE AARP Illinois