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The information below was compiled by Age Options and shared with partners within the Age Options network. The information below includes updates to benefits programs and services, and other resources that apply to seniors and people with disabilities in the context of Covid-19. 

Thank you so much to Age Options for putting together this information.

DHS

• DHS has established Urgent Call Center Teams at the Family Community Resource Centers (FCRCs) to assist with emergency cases. Go to “Family Community Resource Center Urgent Call Teams” at  https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=123570 to locate emergency numbers for the FCRC  teams

• Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) has granted an additional extension to allow SNAP households to claim “good cause” for not providing a social security number through August 31. 2020.  Good cause can also be given to TANF, AABD and cash when the Social Security Office in their area is closed or is providing limited services. For the policy memo, go to “Good Cause Given for Failure to Verify Social Security Number Extended through August 2020”: https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=125803

• DHS has temporarily closed the four suburban Cook County Family Community Resource Centers (FCRCs). They include the South Suburban, West Suburban, North Suburban and Northern Offices. To check on whether the office is open in the future, go to the Office Locator at: https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?module=12

SNAP

• Emergency SNAP allotments have been extended for August 2020. Benefits will become available beginning 8/21/20 through 8/31/20. A notice will not be sent to households informing them of the additional benefits. Go to “Emergency SNAP Allotments” for more information: https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=125935

• An interview is not required for expedited and non-expedited SNAP households whose identity is verified and all mandatory verifications needed to establish eligibility are provided through August 31, 2020. Go to “Extension of the SNAP Interview Adjustment for Applications Filed in July 2020 and August 2020 for more information: https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=125691

• SNAP households whose certification period expires at the end of July or end of August due to not returning a REDE application, will have their case reinstated with a six month extension. For more information, go to “SNAP Certification Periods Ending in July 2020 and August 2020 will be Extended”: https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=12473

• The Bureau of Hearings may use alternative means to conduct hearings, such as telephone or video conference when possible to meet the standard required timeframes. They can extend the fair hearings process up to 120 days from the receipt of the request for fair hearings that were already in process or for which requests are received from March 1, 2020 through August 31, 2020. Go to “Flexibility on Time-frames for Fair Hearings for SNAP Due to COVID-19 Extended through August 2020” for more information https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=125988

• The SNAP Employment and Training Program became voluntary last August.  All individuals receiving SNAP may volunteer to participate in the program except those receiving TANF cash. For more information, go to “Voluntary SNAP Employment & Training Program” at  https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=88001

Benefits Access Application

• If you have a consumer who paid full price for a license plate sticker and is part of the Benefits Access  Program, go to the Illinois Secretary of State’s Online Refund Request at https://www.ilsos.gov/bap/  and enter the Benefits Access Program Control Number and Illinois License Plate Number to see if he is eligible for a refund

• For information regarding refund requests, go to “Refund Request”: https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/accounting_revenue/refund_request/home.html

• For consumers who wish to request a refund by mail, go to “Consideration of Refund Application”: https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/accounting_revenue/refund_request/home.html scroll down the page to “Refund Application Form” and print the form

Secretary of State

• Illinois Secretary of State’s Office announced that the expiration date for valid driver’s licenses held by Illinois drivers who are 75 years of age or older has been extended for a period of one year past the license’s current 2020 expiration date. This means that drivers age 75 and older do not have to visit a facility to renew their driver’s license until shortly before their birthday in 2021. Go to “Jessie White Announces One-Year Extension of Driver’s License Expiration Dates for Seniors Age 75 and Older” for more information: https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/news/2020/august/200825d1.pdf

• It’s a good thing they extended the deadline because there are quite a few driver’s facilities that are temporarily closed due to having a staff member diagnosed with COVID-19. They include the following:

• • Bridgeview: https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/news/2020/august/200821d1.pdf
  • Des Plaines  https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/news/2020/august/200824d1.pdf
  • Midlothian Driver’s License Facility Closing: https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/news/2020/august/200820d1.pdf
  • South Holland: https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/news/2020/august/200819d1.pdf

The Chicago Heights office is closed until further notice. For more information, go to https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/news/2020/august/200819d1.pdf

The office which was located in the Village of Orland Park building is closed. The Secretary of State will be opening an office in the Orland Township building in the future. For more information, go to: https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/news/2020/june/200626d1.pdf  for more information.

IHDA’s Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) Program

The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) has extended the deadline for Illinois renters to apply for aid by one week to 12:00 p.m. on August 28, due to those impacted by the recent storms. The Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) program provides $5,000 to eligible tenants who have seen their household income decline as a result of the COVID-19. For additional help, applicants may visit era.ihda.org or contact IHDA’s call center at 312-883-2720, or toll-free at 888-252-1119. For those who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech-impaired, please contact Navicore Solutions for free assistance at: (877) 274-4309 (TTY).

Stimulus Payments

Resource to help Illinois families get their stimulus checks. Go to  https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=125948  for more information

Happy reading!

Sincerely,

Elizabeth

Elizabeth Lough, MPH, CIRS A/D

Benefits Access Specialist

She/her/hers

AgeOptions
1048 Lake Street, Suite 300
Oak Park, Illinois 60301
phone (708)383-0258, (800)699-9043,  fax (708)524-0870
elizabeth.lough@ageoptions.org

www.ageoptions.org

Update from Progress Center — August 2020

Progress Center staff continue to work remotely. Offices will remain closed to the public in August

Greetings from Progress Center.  We hope that everyone is doing well.  These last few months have not been easy.  We mourn for those who have lost family and loved ones through Covid-19.  We mourn for those who have suffered as a result of Covid-19, including those who are trapped in institutions and are struggling to be safe and are struggling to transition out of those institutions.

We mourn for those in the community who are the victims of systemic racism, and for those who have opportunities that are threatened and narrowed because of systemic inequality and for those whose safety is threatened because of systemic injustice and inequality. At Progress Center, we are reflecting on our own work and systems so that we can make necessary adjustments so that, going forward, we are part of the solution.

We applaud everyone who is rallying and uprising in the face of injustice and inequity in our communities, and we applaud those who continue to work during Covid-19 in order to support the independence of people with disabilities and to support the rights of people with disabilities.

The Progress Center offices have been closed to the public since the middle of March.  We had considered reopening but have decided that the Progress Center Offices will remain closed to the public in August.  Though the offices are closed, staff continue to work.  Progress Center is at full staff capacity and staff members are working one on one and in groups with consumers remotely, through email, the phone, and zoom.  Please continue to reach out to both the Forest Park Office and the Blue Island Office if you are in need of resources.

One initiative Progress Center Staff have been working on is Personal Protective Equipment. If you are in need of PPE, please reach out to Progress Center.  Progress Center staff can help connect you with resources for gear.

One initiative that is ending in July is the Emergency Back Up Provider Program.  If you are a Home Services Consumer who has a personal assistant who can no longer work as a result of Covid-19, we can no longer work to fill the spot through the Emergency Back Up Provider Program.  Yet, we will do all we can to fill the spot quickly through the regular personal assistant program.

That is all for now. All the best from Progress Center. Please take care and please reach out if support is needed.

Over the past few weeks, Progress Center Staff have been closely following and have been deeply impacted by the murder of George Floyd and the events that followed in Minneapolis, around the United States, and around the world.  Staff at Progress Center support Black Lives Matter, and the efforts to confront and dismantle racism, anti-Blackness, and White Supremacy.  As a service and advocacy organization governed and staffed by people with disabilities, Progress Center is committed to inclusion and diversity.  As part of that commitment, we must examine our own practices to ensure we are supporting independence and building social equity for all people with disabilities.

As a Center for Independent Living, we are part of a broader statewide network. The Illinois Network of Centers for Independent Living recently released a statement on Anti-Racism.  The statement includes the link between disability and other marginalized communities — “Racial Justice and Disability Justice are inextricably linked. People who are Black, Latinx, Asian and immigrants with disabilities face inequities in almost every area of life, due to discrimination and systemic oppression.”

We thank INCIL for their leadership.  Below is a link to the INCIL statement.

INCIL Anti-Racism Statement of Solidarity

In the midst of the Covid-19 Pandemic, many people are dealing with difficult financial circumstances.  Businesses are starting to open but people are still challenged economically. Many people are working less. Some people are unable to work.  Some people have increased expenses, and many continue to live week to week trying to make financial ends meet.

During this period,  Progress Center has a fund designed to provide people with disabilities with financial support.  The fund is designed to support people with disabilities by providing support with rent, mortgages, utilities bills, or household essential items.

To learn more about the program, contact garnold@progresscil.org

Support the Work of Progress Center on #GivingTuesdayNow

As the Stay at Home Order in Illinois transitions into May, Progress Center continues to provide services and support for people with disabilities throughout Suburban Cook County.  Since the middle of March, when staff started to work remotely, and people around Cook County and Illinois began to feel the full weight of Covid-19, the work of Progress Center has taken on a new urgency.  Over the past few months, the work of Progress Center includes:

• Ensuring Home Services are not disrupted, and that people with disabilities receive the critical support of personal assistants, so that they can continue to be healthy, safe, and independent in their own homes;
• Continuing to work with people on securing new residences so that they can move into accessible and affordable homes without delay;
• Supporting individuals and families who have lost their jobs or have been forced to live with higher expenses because of Covid-19;
• Providing a space and time for people in their community to share their concerns and receive guidance related to Covid-19;
• Helping people find answers within the changing landscape of public benefits and Covid-19;
• Working in coalition to secure protective gear for consumers as well as providers in the community.

Today, May 5, 2020, is #GivingTuesdayNow. “#GivingTuesdayNow is a new global day of giving and unity that will take place on May 5, 2020 …. as an emergency response to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19.”   In the spirit of #GivingTuesdayNow, we ask that you consider a donation to Progress Center. Your donation will help support our efforts to respond to the urgent needs of the community, today, through the Covid-19 Pandemic, and in the future.

Thank you for your consideration. To Make a Donation, visit this link.

Horacio Esparza, Executive Director