Illinois Legislators Rated on Support for Medicaid Home and Community Based Services for Developmental Disabilities

   Springfield, Illinois - September, 2016 - Illinois Parents of Adults with Developmental Disabilities (IPADD) has released its first scorecard for Illinois legislators, believing it to be the first disability-specific legislative report published in the state.

The scorecard, titled ICLR (Illinois Community Living Report), analyzed ten bills from the 2016 Spring Session of the Illinois 99th General Assembly. Bills were chosen for their potential to help or hinder Illinois citizens with developmental disabilities access more included lives in their homes and communities. Rep. Carol Ammons, Rep. Will Guzzardi, and Rep. Elaine Nekritz achieved a perfect score of 100% on the scorecard. All three representatives have received IPADD’s “Community Living Advocate Award.”

“We are grateful to Reps. Ammons, Guzzardi, and Nekritz for having the courage to support good policy which directly impacts the lives of Illinois citizens with developmental disabilities,” said Deb Hamilton, IPADD’s Legislative Affairs Director. Hamilton added: “The scorecard also reveals a disappointing level of engagement by many of the top leaders, including Governor Rauner and Speaker Madigan, who each scored only 50% on the report. This is nothing short of negligence and that type of policy neglect will no longer go unscrutinized by the public.”

IPADD believes "every person with a developmental disability, supported appropriately, can live a safe, meaningful, and connected life in their home community. The group outlines three key goals for Illinois government, which include:

1."Commit immediately to raising the state fiscal investment in Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) from our current rank of 46th in the nation...

2.Shorten, and eventually eliminate, the PUNS (Prioritization for Urgency of Need for Services) waiting list...

3.Make equitable rate adjustments for community services across regions, settings, and HCBS waivers..."

Download Illinois Community Living Report (PDF)

Read article on NPR Illinois and listen to interview with Deb Hamilton.

IPADD was co-founded in 2006 by Laurie Jerue and Ellen Garber Bronfeld, both mothers of adults with a developmental disability. IPADD has since grown to more than 1,500 members. From the beginning, the organization has been grounded in the philosophy that every person with a developmental disability can lead safe, meaningful, and connected lives in their community.

source: IPADD press release