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GOVERNOR TO DELIVER BUDGET ADDRESS FEBRUARY 18 – HUMAN SERVICES BRIEFING TO FOLLOWOn Wednesday, February 18, at 12:00 PM, Governor JB Pritzker will deliver his annual State of the State and Budget address where he will outline his administration's priorities for fiscal year 2027. While few details have yet to emerge on his plans for the coming fiscal year, we expect there to be a continued tightening of the state's purse strings. The address can be viewed live by taking this link. Following the Governor's address, leaders from the administration and all of the state's health and human services agencies will provide an in-depth briefing on each individual agency's proposed budget. That briefing will begin at 2:00 PM on the 18th and can be viewed live here. As we do each year, IARF will send members an extensive analysis of the Governor's proposed budget following the address and the HHS briefing. (Contact: Emily Miller) IARF MEMBER BENEFIT REVIEWStaying connected and informed has never been more important, and we want to make sure you're getting the most out of your IARF membership. The attached document highlights key member benefits and walks you through how to ensure your member profile is up to date, view committee and meeting schedules, access and sign up for NewsNotes and much more. Taking a few minutes to review this information will help you stay engaged and avoid missing important updates. We encourage you to share this document with others in your organization so everyone can take full advantage of these resources. Keeping your information current helps us better support you and helps you stay plugged into everything that's happening. Please click here to view your Member Benefits and as always, please reach out with any questions. (Contact: Sara Roth) DBHR BEGINS RELEASING FY27 GRANT APPLICATIONSThis week, DBHR began posting several FY27 grant applications, including for the following competitive NOFO programs, which are listed below according to application due date. The following applications are due Tuesday, March 3, at 12:00 PM:
The following application is due Thursday, March 5, at 12:00 PM:
The following application was originally released this week, but has since been temporarily removed and is expected to be re-released in the coming days:
For more information on all FY27 grant applications, click here. (Contact: Emily Miller) HFS WEBINAR ON MOBILE RESPONSE AND STABILIZATION SERVICES (MRSS) FRAMEWORK NEXT WEEKOn Wednesday, HFS released a provider notice with the link to register for their upcoming webinar on the transition to a mobile response and stabilization services (MRSS) model beginning in July of 2026. While we don't anticipate much additional information beyond what was shared during the initial meeting with providers in late January, IARF staff will be in attendance and will share any additional information with members following the webinar. In case you missed it in yesterday's update to IARF BH Committee members, the full write-up previously shared with IARF members after the initial meeting with providers can be found here and the state's PowerPoint presentation from that meeting can be found here. The link to register for next week's HFS webinar is here: HFS Webinar on MRSS Framework – Wednesday, February 11, 11:00 AM – Register Here (Contact: Emily Miller) DHS-DDD RELEASES TWO NEW DRAFT INFORMATION BULLETINSThe Division of Developmental Disabilities has posted two new Draft Information Bulletins. The first, IDHS: DRAFT - Behavior Support Plan Development Guidance, provides guidance on developing and implementing behavior services for individuals receiving home and community-based services (HCBS). The second, IDHS: DRAFT - Behavior Intervention and Treatment (56U) Billing Guidance, provides guidance for billing for Behavior Intervention and Treatment (56U) and on the process for becoming a Behavior Intervention and Treatment (BIT) provider. Both if these Information Bulletins are in Draft form and open for comment through February 17, 2026. IARF has hosted a one feedback call to discuss these Draft IB's in further detail and will host another next week. Contact Beth Owens, [email protected], for more information on the feedback calls. (Contact: Beth Owens) COGFA PUBLISHES JANUARY 2026 MONTHLY BRIEFINGIt was a mixed month for revenues deposited into the State's General Funds in January. Modest gains from the primary revenue sources were more than offset by declines in Federal Sources, Transfers, and a few other State revenue areas. Total General Funds revenues for the month reached $4.597 billion, which is $152 million, or 3.2%, below the $4.749 billion collected in January of last year. Despite the monthly decline, cumulative revenues remain ahead of last year's pace by $1.038 billion, or 3.5%, through the first seven months of the fiscal year. Read the full report HERE. (Contact: Luis Andrade) IAMHP RELEASES UPDATED UNIVERSAL ROSTER TEMPLATEAs announced by HFS in a provider notice released earlier this week, the Illinois Association of Medicaid Health Plans (IAMHP) has released an updated provider enrollment roster template, effective February 1, 2026. The previous template will no longer be available or accepted by the Medicaid health plans. The provider enrollment roster template is standardized across all HealthChoice Illinois health plans – the newest updates to the roster include:
Important information from the notice: The universal format addresses the information needs of individual providers, group practices and facilities. Additionally, the format ensures compliance with recent Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services rules on the scope of information that should be made available to Medicaid beneficiaries in provider directories. The provider roster cannot be used for credentialing providers. Effective January 1, 2018, HFS assumed the sole responsibility for credentialing through the State's IMPACT registration system. Additional information can be found on the IAMHP website. (Contact: Emily Miller) NCI-IDD STATE OF THE WORKFORCE – ILLINOIS MAKES PROGRESS ON WORKFORCE STABILIZATIONRecently the National Core Indicators (NCI) published its most recent State of the Workforce report, which analyzes data from 27 states (including Washington, D.C.) on the Direct Support Professional Workforce (DSP). This year's report gathered data on 344,179 DSPs across participating states. Since 2016 Illinois has participated in this national survey. A review of report data from 2016 – 2024 shows Illinois has made remarkable progress on stabilizing the DSP workforce, as compared to other midwestern states and states with similar GDPs.
Data also may indicate the combination of wage levels and benefits packages has contributed to our state's success in retaining tenured DSPs and reducing vacancy rates. However, overall turnover remains a challenge, as Illinois' turnover rate of 41.3% is above the 37.1% national average. (Contact: Josh Evans) ILLINOIS JOINS THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS GLOBAL OUTBREAK ALERT RESPONSE NETWORKThis week, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced that the state is joining the World Health Organizations Global Outbreak Alert Response Network, a coordinated international network dedicated to monitoring and responding to global disease outbreaks. The move is in response to the federal government's decision to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization. Governor Pritzker stated: By joining the network, Illinois will benefit from WHO membership resources including:
(Contact: Luis Andrade) REGISTRATION OPEN FOR 2026 BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ADVOCACY DAYJoin IARF, CBHA, IABH, and NAMI Illinois for the 2026 Advocacy Day at the Illinois State Capitol. On Wednesday, April 15, beginning at 10:00 AM, advocates will gather together in the rotunda of the Capitol Building to begin our day of advocacy on behalf of community behavioral health supports and services in Illinois. Attendees will meet with legislators to encourage their support of behavioral health funding in the FY27 state budget and other priorities. To register for this year's event, click here. Registration includes the option to purchase a t-shirt commemorating the day but is not required. (Contact: Emily Miller) NEW 14C SURVEY AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE OPPORTUNITYThe Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities, in partnership with Economic Systems, Inc., is launching a major new technical assistance initiative designed specifically to support 14(c) providers as Illinois moves forward with implementation of Dignity in Pay. This timely and practical initiative is provider-focused and built around the real, day-to-day needs of organizations delivering services. The first and most important step in this effort is a statewide survey, which plays a critical role for two reasons. First, it will establish a real-time snapshot of how many individuals are currently working and receiving subminimum wages, creating an essential baseline to track outcomes, align state resources, and better understand current needs across Illinois. Second, the survey will help identify the specific support needs of 14(c) providers, directly shaping the free technical assistance that will be offered over the next nine months. Provider input will influence the type, intensity, and focus of this support as the state implements Dignity in Pay. Completion of the survey is required to receive technical assistance - survey link. (Contact: Beth Owens) QUARTERLY EVV TOWNHALL TO BE HELD MARCH 26thThe Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) will host a virtual Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) Townhall Meeting on March 26, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. via WebEx. During the townhall, HFS will share updated information on EVV and review the current requirements in place. This training is intended for Personal Support Workers (PSWs), Employers of Record (EORs), Self-Directed Assistants (SDAs), and families of individuals receiving services. Representatives from HFS, HHAexchange, the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD), and the Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) will be available to answer questions and provide clarification on program-specific issues. The webinar will be recorded, and presentation materials will be posted to the HFS EVV website once available. Individuals receiving Developmental Disability Waiver funding for PSW services, occupational therapy, speech therapy, or physical therapy in home-based settings are strongly encouraged to attend. Registration is required and available through this March EVV Townhall WebEx registration link, where participants may also submit questions in advance for consideration during the meeting. (Contact: Beth Owens) INTELLECTABILITY WEBINAR – REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH & IDD: A NEEDED CONVERSATIONWomen with intellectual and developmental disabilities often face barriers to accessing accurate, respectful reproductive healthcare. Join IntellectAbility for an upcoming IDD-Perspectives webinar focused on reproductive health for women with IDD, featuring a clinician-led discussion on access, education, and quality care. This session explores how providers and systems can better support informed choice, dignity, and health equity. Register Now! (Contact: Beth Owens) 2026 LEGISLATIVE BILLS OF INTERESTIARF tracks many legislative initiatives as they are filed in the General Assembly. Below is an evolving list of bills on which IARF has taken a position as of today's date (Support, Oppose, Monitor). Bill: HB4969 and SB3427 (Rep. Faver Dias and Sen. Koehler) Bill: HB4850 and SB3727 (Rep. Johnson and Sen. Halpin) Bill: HB4747 and SB3255 (Rep. Gil and Sen. Murphy) Bill: HB4884 and SB3714 (Rep. Olickal and Sen. Johnson) Bill: HB4848and SB3340 (Rep. Syed and Sen. Guzman) Bill: HB1843 (Rep. Ness and Sen. Ellman) Bill: HB4179 (Rep. Meier) Bill: HB4284 (Rep. Cochran) Bill: HB4324 (Rep. Moeller) Bill: HB4449 (Rep. West II) and SB2894 (Sen. Villanueva) Bill: HB4450 (Rep. Morris) and SB2883 (Guzman) Bill: HB4495 (Rep. LaPointe) Bill: HB4542 (Rep. Grant) Bill: SB2744 (Sen. Hills) Bill: SB2971: (Sen. Castro) (Contact: Luis Andrade and Emily Miller) Comments are closed.
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