News From the Illinois Senate

Lawmakers returned to their districts this week, said state Sen. Ron Sandack (R-21st), though many legislators attended redistricting hearings that were scheduled throughout the state.

All citizens, grassroots organizations and special interest groups are encouraged to participate in these hearings by offering suggestions and insights on the legislative redistricting process. The public can find more information on the hearings at http://www.ilsenateredistricting.com/.

Sandack noted that anyone interested in drawing their own district map is welcome to use the map drawing room in the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. until noon, or by appointment (312-814-2053). The room is located on the 16th Floor of the Thompson Center, 100 W. Randolph, Chicago.

Staff, computers and software will be available to community activists, organizations and people interested in drawing legislative district boundaries. The census data that is used to draw the maps will also be on hand, and members of the public will be able to save their maps and take them home.

In other news, a recent audit of the state’s ALL KIDS children’s health insurance program indicates the program is still fraught with problems.

According to the report released by the Illinois Auditor General on April 14, classification errors relating to both documented and undocumented immigrants participating in ALL KIDS were prevalent. The misclassification of these enrollees not only resulted in data errors, but in the loss of federal matching funds for eligible, documented enrollees.

Additionally, inadequate documentation requirements relating to the program raised eyebrows. While ALL KIDS requires state residency be verified, according to the report the ALL KIDS application did not require applicants to prove residency. The audit also noted that auditors could not identify any routine process used by DHFS or the Dept. of Human Services (DHS) to verify residency, though beginning on July 1, 2011 a new law will take effect that requires residency to be confirmed.

Auditors also found that the ALL KIDS application does not require birth or identity documents be provided by undocumented immigrants. The report questioned how, lacking this information, the Departments are able to verify age or identity information.

The audit also noted that only one pay stub is required of most applicants in order to establish 12-month eligibility for ALL KIDS. Auditors questioned this process, noting that one pay stub does not necessarily reflect the entire month’s income. However, the report pointed out that on July 1, 2011 a new law will take effect requiring a month’s income be provided in order to determine eligibility.

Similarly, while self-employed applicants are required to provide a month’s worth of detailed business records, auditors found that often applicants did not provide these detailed records. As a result, DHFS and DHS could not confirm the income or expenses reported, nor could the Departments conclude the expenses were used only for business purposes.

Once again, the audit highlighted the “passive” redetermination process used by DHFS. Currently, ALL KIDS enrollees are allowed to simply submit an annual renewal form, and that is only if they need to report a change in information. DHFS does not go to any additional lengths to ensure that enrollees are still eligible for the program. The audit noted that, “As a result, enrollees could remain eligible for ‘passive’ redetermination until they turned 19 years of age without ever having more than one actual eligibility determination.”

Additional problems found within the ALL KIDS program include failure to discontinue ALL KIDS coverage even if the enrollee did not pay the required premiums on time. The audit also determined that DHFS and DHS did not have an satisfactory system in place to guarantee at ALL KIDS participants’ eligibility be terminated once they turn 18.