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Illinois Life Span Program

Considering a Move To, or Within, Illinois?

Last Updated September 2023

This Fact Sheet is available for download in the following languages:

Families that include a child or an adult with a disability have much to consider when an opportunity to move to another state arises. Remember that you cannot apply for Medicaid services in a new state until you have established residency there.  

Most children with developmental delays aged birth to three are served in the Early Intervention System (EI) in Illinois. The point of entry for EI is the local Child & Family Connections Office (CFC). The Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS) administers EI in Illinois. If you have a child in this age category with a disability or developmental delay, contact the appropriate CFC to schedule an eligibility evaluation to determine whether your child meets the EI guidelines specific to Illinois. Illinois has its own eligibility guidelines for EI, which are not the same as in other states. To find the CFC in the area in which you are interested, call 217-782-1981 or go to the DHS website at https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?module=12 (choose “Early Intervention” in drop-down menu). 

Illinois children and youth aged three through twenty-one are served primarily through local school districts. For information on education and special education in Illinois, see the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) website. ISBE provides a resource for families, Educational Rights and Responsibilities: Understanding Special Education in Illinois which is available on ISBE Special Education website.

Illinois has two federally-funded Parent Training and Information Centers (PTICs) which provide free special education rights training and information to families: 

  1. The Family Resource Center on Disabilities serves Chicago and the following 8 counties: Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will – 312-939-3513 
  2. Family Matters Parent Training and Information Center serves the rest of the state – 1-866-436-7842

Illinois currently offers nine different Medicaid waivers. Children and young adults may be able to participate in six of them. See the Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) waiver page for more information.

One waiver is for children who are both medically fragile and technology dependent: https://hfs.illinois.gov/medicalclients/hcbs/tdmfc.html  

The Children’s Support Waiver and Children’s Residential Waiver are two Medicaid Waiver programs in Illinois that focus on eligible children with developmental disabilities:

To be considered for these services families must contact their local Independent Service Coordination (ISC) Agency and register on the waiting list, called the PUNS. A completed PUNS form must be updated annually and is necessary for Illinois residents of any age with developmental disabilities who are in need of services.  Services for adults with developmental disabilities in Illinois are provided primarily through the Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) through the Adults with Developmental Disabilities Medicaid waiver. To be considered for these services, qualifying individuals must register on the PUNS and keep it updated yearly. Learn more here: PUNS, The Basics 

For more information about PUNS and Home and Community-Based Waiver Services in Illinois, please see the website for the Family Support Network of Illinois (FSN) or call FSN at 708-331-7370. 

Medicaid waivers, although funded in part by federal money, also receive state funding and are state administered programs. Therefore, eligibility and services available vary from state to state. Medicaid waivers cannot be transferred between states. Adults who have been in residential placements in another state cannot transfer to a residential placement in Illinois, unless openings exist and they can pay privately. 

Many Illinois residents with disabilities receive services provided by the Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS). Some individuals may qualify for vocational, respite, or Personal Assistant Services through DRS. The DHS/DRS Persons with Disabilities waiver is open to eligible children and adults, under age 60, who are enrolled in Medicaid. See: https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=29736 or for the Persons with Disabilities waiver: https://hfs.illinois.gov/medicalclients/hcbs/disablities.html or call the DHS Help Line at 1- 800-843-6154. More information about the services funded through the DRS Home Services Waiver: https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=29738 

If your family member receives benefits from the Federal government (for example, SSI, SSDI, or Medicare) these benefits will remain the same in all states. You will need to file your change of address in the new state once you move. You can use this change of address form.

If your family member participates in state programs, or programs that have state-federal matching funds such as Medicaid, State Children’s Health Insurance Program (called All Kids in Illinois), Medicaid Home and Community-Based Waivers or the Title V Children with Special Health Care Needs program (Specialized Care for Children in Illinois), you will have to meet the eligibility criterion in the new state. 

Having funding in one state does not guarantee eligibility or funding in another. Residency must be established before you can apply and have eligibility determined for most programs. After you move to Illinois, you must be able to prove your residency here at the time of applying for any programs. Proofs of residency can include an address, driver’s license or state ID, utility bills, rental agreement/lease or mortgage. 

Federal benefit programs will stay the same if your family circumstances do not change – i.e. income, family size. 

Guardianship is not portable. If you are moving to Illinois and are the legal guardian of your adult family member with disabilities, you will need to check on the requirements for guardianship in the county to which you are moving. For additional information about guardianship in Illinois, you may contact the Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission; call STATEWIDE GENERAL INFO: 1-866-274-8023 and INFO For Out-of-State Callers: 1-708-338-7500. 

Links to legal resources are available on the Illinois Life Span website or call 1-800-588-7002. 

State and jointly funded state and federal benefit programs will change from state to state. File new application after moving to see if you qualify in Illinois for: 

  1. Early Intervention
  1. Specialized Care for Children (Title V CSHCN program) 
  1. Medicaid, including All Kids (State Children’s Health Insurance Program) — Apply at ABE
  1. Medicaid Waivers for children and for adults 

You will need to file your change of address and/or reapply: 

  1. File change of address for SSI – https://www.ssa.gov/personal-record/update-contact-information and https://www.ssa.gov/onlineservices/  
  1. Reapply once you have moved to Illinois for: 
  • If you receive benefits from programs administered by the State of Illinois, you must file your change of address with the Illinois Department of Human Services at https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=46873 or by calling the Change Report Line at 1-800-720-4166. You can also look up office locations by program. 
  • Contact your Managed Care Organization with your new address. You can also call 1-800-226-0768. 
  • If you participate in Specialized Care for Children, please contact your DSCC care coordinator for information about transferring to a new DSCC office, or call 800-322-3722. 
  • If you participate in a Medicaid Waiver program, please ask your current case manager for information about transferring services to local providers. 
  • If you are on the PUNS list, please ask your current contact person at your Independent Service Coordination Program (ISC) for contact information for your new ISC agency. 

If you move to a new state, you will enter a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) and will have sixty days to enroll in a new plan from the Illinois Marketplace, Get Covered Illinois. More information about Qualifying Life Events which qualify for a Special Enrollment Period is available here: https://getcovered.illinois.gov/  

To get started with Get Covered Illinois, please call or contact: https://getcovered.illinois.gov/ By phone: (866) 311-1119. Open Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. 

The Arc of Illinois Family-to-Family Health Information Center 

815-464-1832 x1017

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