Programs in Illinois providing care to Medicaid-eligible older adults via assisted living or at home through a waiver program will receive payments from the state despite an ongoing inability for the Republican governor and Democrat-controlled state legislature to pass a budget. The state’s fiscal year began July 1.

The Community Care and other home- and community-based care programs in Illinois are covered under individual budget lines; care provided in residential settings is funded separately. The programs are being funded, in spite of the budget impasse, under the same court orders surrounding a consent decree resulting from the Beeks vs. Bradley case, which requires Medicaid claims to be paid during a budget impasse.

The state Department of Human Services, Department of Healthcare and Family Services and Department of Human Services must process eligibility of medical assistance applications, and the general assistance program and Aid to the Aged Blind and Disabled must continue.

The Community Care program aids almost 90,000 older adults in Illinois, according to elder advocates in Illinois.