SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - State Rep. Mike Smiddy, D-Hillsdale, is working to preserve care programs for seniors and disabled residents by sponsoring legislation urging the preservation of the several in-home care options for thousands of Illinois residents.
"The Governor's proposed increase to the Determination of Need score will have devastating consequences for seniors the developmentally disabled across the state," Smiddy said. "I'm happy the Governor shares my concern for the state's ballooning budget, but balancing that debt on the backs of our most vulnerable and frail residents is simply cruel."
Under current law, the Determination of Need (DON) score is used to identify need and determine eligibility for the Community Care Program and Home Service Program (HSP) which allows elderly and disabled people receive the care they need to remain in their homes. Governor Rauner has proposed an increase from the current standard of 29 to 37. At current enrollment levels, this increase would eliminate 10,000 people from eligibility for services they need to maintain their health and stay out of nursing homes. Smiddy is sponsoring House Resolution 344, which urges the governor to abandon the proposal to increase this score for determining eligibility to these two programs.
"Care programs are critical to the health of tens of thousands of people in our state and keeping these residents comfortable in their homes is much less expensive than state-sponsored stays in nursing facilities," Smiddy said. "Increasing the DON score to deny people in-home care will push them toward nursing home options and attempting to pass this change off as meaningful savings for the state is shortsighted and irresponsible."
House Resolution 344 was adopted by the House on May 6.
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