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91_HJ0043
LRB9111552STsb
1 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, Under Part C of the federal Individuals with
3 Disabilities Education Act, the State of Illinois is required
4 to provide coordinated, comprehensive, interdisciplinary
5 services to all eligible individuals to enhance the growth
6 and development of children from birth through 3 years of age
7 who have disabilities or developmental delays or both; and
8 WHEREAS, In the case of Marie O. v. Edgar (September
9 1996) the State was found to be in noncompliance with the
10 federal law in providing services to children from birth
11 through 3 years of age who have disabilities or developmental
12 delays or both; and
13 WHEREAS, The continuation of receipt of federal funds is
14 contingent upon compliance with the federal regulations under
15 Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act;
16 and
17 WHEREAS, There are currently 7,900 eligible infants and
18 toddlers receiving Early Intervention services and, based on
19 a 1.7% prevalence rate, it is estimated that approximately
20 1,600 infants and toddlers who would be eligible under the
21 current criteria are not receiving services; and
22 WHEREAS, The availability of new providers has been
23 restricted by the low rate of reimbursement; and
24 WHEREAS, Part C providers currently in the system are
25 unable to receive adequate reimbursement for services
26 provided in order to meet the cost of doing business; and
27 WHEREAS, There is an inconsistency in rate reimbursement
28 among government entities and other third party payers,
29 including, but not limited to, the Department of Children and
30 Family Services, the Department of Public Health, Insurance
31 Companies, Medicaid, and the Division of Specialized Care for
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1 Children; and
2 WHEREAS, Illinois' rates of reimbursement are low
3 compared to contiguous states; and
4 WHEREAS, The delivery of Early Intervention services to
5 eligible infants and toddlers can enhance the quality of life
6 by diminishing the impact of a developmental disability
7 across a lifetime; and
8 WHEREAS, The provision of Early Intervention services to
9 infants and toddlers aged 0 to 3 years is known to result in
10 positive benefit-cost ratios, future savings for every dollar
11 spent in early intervention, a need for fewer future services
12 such as special education, and a reduced need for more costly
13 institutional or group home services that would be used over
14 the lifetime of the child; therefore, be it
15 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
16 NINETY-FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
17 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge the Department of
18 Human Services to hire one or more unbiased independent
19 consultants with related research experience to conduct a
20 study to identify;
21 (1) the total cost of providing each of the 16 Part C
22 services, as outlined in the Individuals with Disabilities
23 Education Act, taking into consideration geographic area and
24 types of providers, including former, grant, private, and
25 independent providers;
26 (2) the costs of doing business through a standardized
27 accounting procedure specifically including, but not limited
28 to, travel reimbursement, ancillary costs, and other
29 non-billable services;
30 (3) how many of the 16 Part C services are provided and
31 whether those services are provided on-site or off-site;
32 (4) how many children are being served statewide and the
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1 statewide capacity for service; and
2 (5) the current reimbursement rate for third party
3 payment for services for non-Part C infants and toddlers; and
4 be it further
5 RESOLVED, That we urge the independent consultant to
6 complete the study and submit a report to the Governor and
7 the General Assembly by October 1, 2000; and be it further
8 RESOLVED, That a copy of this House Joint Resolution be
9 delivered to the Director of Human Services.