Jun 30, 2009 7:56 pm US/Central
Non-Profit Group Sues Over Budget Cuts To Disabled
CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) ―
A non-profit organization filed suit Tuesday against the director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (DHFS) and several other agency heads, asking a judge to halt a budget plan to slash disability services for thousands of individuals.
Equip For Equality, Inc. filed the suit to prevent Barry S. Maram, director of DHFS, Carol L. Adams, secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS), and Charles D. Johnson, director of the Illinois Department of Aging (DOA), from eliminating programs for people with developmental disabilities and reducing funding for community health programs.
The suit was filed in Cook County Circuit Court.
According to the suit, DHS' Division of Developmental Disabilities will eliminate services to 30,000 consumers, and DHS' Division of Mental Health will eliminate access to services to 57,800 individuals in need of mental health services, due to the budget cuts, which was recently passed by the General Assembly.
On June 15, 2009, the DOA announced it would cut community-provided services and grants to seniors, including eliminating the community program care program, which helps senior citizens stay in their homes, and not put into nursing homes.
Many of the individuals affected by the cuts have psychiatric, developmental and physical disabilities, the suit said.
The suit claims the budget cuts violates the American with Disabilities Act, Medicaid Act, and Illinois law, and wants an injunction prohibiting the department heads from implementing the proposed reduction in services to disabled individuals.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2009. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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