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| Public Act 099-0746
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| SB2906 Enrolled | LRB099 18090 KTG 42455 b |
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AN ACT concerning public aid.
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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represented in the General Assembly:
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Section 5. The Illinois Public Aid Code is amended by |
changing Section 9A-8 as follows:
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(305 ILCS 5/9A-8) (from Ch. 23, par. 9A-8)
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Sec. 9A-8. Operation of Program.
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(a) At the time of application or redetermination of |
eligibility under
Article IV, as determined by rule, the |
Illinois Department shall provide
information in writing and |
orally regarding the education, training and
employment |
program to all applicants and recipients. The information
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required shall be established by rule and shall include, but |
need not be
limited to:
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(1) education (including literacy training), |
employment and training
opportunities available, the |
criteria for approval of those opportunities,
and the right |
to request changes in the personal responsibility and
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services plan to include those opportunities;
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(1.1) a complete list of all activities that are |
approvable activities, and
the circumstances under which |
they are
approvable, including work activities, substance |
abuse or mental health
treatment, activities to escape and |
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prevent domestic
violence, caring for a medically impaired |
family member, and any other
approvable activities, |
together with the right to and
procedures for amending the |
responsibility and services plan to include these
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activities;
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(1.2) the rules concerning the lifetime limit on |
eligibility, including
the current status of the applicant |
or recipient in
terms of the months of remaining |
eligibility, the criteria under which a month
will not |
count towards the lifetime limit, and the
criteria under |
which a recipient may receive benefits beyond the end of |
the
lifetime limit;
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(2) supportive services including child care
and the |
rules regarding eligibility for and access to the child
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care assistance program, transportation, initial expenses |
of employment, job
retention, books and fees, and any other |
supportive
services;
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(3) the obligation of the Department to provide |
supportive services;
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(4) the rights and responsibilities of participants, |
including
exemption, sanction, reconciliation, and good |
cause criteria and
procedures, termination for |
non-cooperation
and reinstatement rules and procedures, |
and appeal and grievance procedures;
and
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(5) the types and locations of child care services.
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(b) The Illinois
Department shall notify the recipient in |
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writing of the opportunity to
volunteer to participate in the |
program.
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(c) (Blank).
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(d) As part of the personal plan for achieving employment |
and
self-sufficiency, the Department shall conduct an |
individualized assessment
of
the
participant's employability. |
No participant may be assigned to any
component of the |
education, training and employment activity
prior to such
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assessment. The plan shall
include collection of
information
on |
the individual's background, proficiencies, skills |
deficiencies,
education level, work history, employment goals, |
interests, aptitudes, and
employment preferences, as well as |
factors affecting employability or
ability to meet |
participation requirements (e.g., health, physical or
mental |
limitations, child care, family circumstances, domestic |
violence, sexual violence,
substance abuse, and special needs |
of any child of the individual). As part
of the plan,
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individuals and Department staff shall work together to |
identify any
supportive service needs required to enable the |
client to participate and
meet the objectives of his or her |
employability plan. The
assessment may be conducted through |
various methods such as interviews,
testing, counseling, and |
self-assessment instruments. In the
assessment process, the |
Department shall offer to include standard
literacy testing
and |
a determination of
English language proficiency and shall |
provide it for those who accept the
offer.
Based on the |
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assessment,
the
individual will be assigned to the appropriate |
activity. The
decision will be based on a determination of the |
individual's level of
preparation for employment as defined by |
rule.
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(e) Recipients determined to be exempt may volunteer to |
participate
pursuant to Section 9A-4 and must be assessed.
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(f) As part of the personal plan for achieving employment |
and
self-sufficiency under Section 4-1, an employability plan |
for recipients
shall be
developed in
consultation with the |
participant. The Department shall have final
responsibility |
for approving the employability plan. The employability
plan |
shall:
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(1) contain an employment goal of the participant;
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(2) describe the services to be provided by the |
Department, including
child care and other support |
services;
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(3) describe the activities, such as component |
assignment, that will be
undertaken by the participant to |
achieve the employment goal. The Department shall treat |
participation in high school and high school equivalency |
programs as a core activity and count participation in high |
school and high school equivalency programs toward the |
first 20 hours per week of participation. The Department |
shall approve participation in high school or high school |
equivalency programs upon written or oral request of the |
participant if he or she has not already earned a high |
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school diploma or a high school equivalency certificate. |
However, participation in high school or high school |
equivalency programs may be delayed as part of an |
applicant's or recipient's personal plan for achieving |
employment and self-sufficiency if it is determined that |
the benefit from participating in another activity, such |
as, but not limited to, treatment for substance abuse or an |
English proficiency program, would be greater to the |
applicant or recipient than participation in high school or |
a high school equivalency program. The availability of high |
school and high school equivalency programs may also delay |
enrollment in those programs. The Department shall treat |
such activities as a core activity as long as satisfactory |
progress is made, as determined by the high school or high |
school equivalency program. Proof of satisfactory progress |
shall be provided by the participant or the school at the |
end of each academic term; and
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(4) describe any other needs of the family that might |
be met by
the Department.
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(g) The employability plan shall take into account:
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(1) available program resources;
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(2) the participant's support service needs;
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(3) the participant's skills level and aptitudes;
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(4) local employment opportunities; and
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(5) the preferences of the
participant.
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(h) A reassessment shall be conducted to assess a |
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participant's
progress and to review the employability plan on |
the following occasions:
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(1) upon completion of an activity and before
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assignment to an activity;
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(2) upon the request of the participant;
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(3) if the individual is not cooperating with the |
requirements of
the program; and
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(4) if the individual has failed to make satisfactory |
progress in an
education or training program.
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Based on the reassessment, the Department may revise the |
employability
plan of the participant.
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(Source: P.A. 96-866, eff. 7-1-10.)
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