Act Now
On January 1, 2016, the State of Illinois will implement a new policy for the DHS-DRS Home Services Program (HSP), in response to a new rule of the U.S. Department of Labor requiring overtime and travel time pay for individual providers (IPs). As stated below, the policy that the State has developed is being implemented on very short notice, imposes caps on the number of hours IPs may work and contains very narrow and rigid exceptions for when overtime may be approved.
January 1, 2016 Deadline: Consumers and individual providers were only notified of the new policy that last week in November. The deadline of January 1, 2016 to implement the new Illinois policy and may put people with disabilities at risk of losing service. In addition, launching the implementation of the policy without training for all stakeholders could have unintended consequences of causing customers with disabilities to lose service hours
35 Hour Cap: The Illinois implementation plan caps the number of hours an IP works for one consumer at 35. This will force consumers to have to seek additional providers by January 1, 2016.
40 Hour Cap for Individual Providers: With a few exceptions, Illinois will cap the total number of hours an IP may work at 40. Prior to this policy, there was no cap on overtime hours. If IPs are forced to scale back hours, they will be forced to choose between customers in the Home Services Program.
Exceptions: The exceptions for approving customer overtime outlined in the policy appear narrow, arbitrary and unjustified.
If Illinois goes forward with the implementation policy as it stands now, it could dismantle and disrupt services for thousands of people with disabilities. To ensure that people with disabilities who need home services are not harmed by this new policy,
contact Governor Bruce Rauner today to ask him to delay implementing the policy and to provide greater flexibility in the policy.
Governor Bruce Rauner
James R. Thompson Center
100 W. Randolph, 16-100
Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: 312-814-2121
