Lawmaker calls for department reform supporting Illinois families with disabled children

By Sean Reed | The Center Square
The Center Square

(The Center Square) – A Republican state representative in Illinois is continuing his push for simpler and less burdensome paths to care for disabled residents and their families.

A longtime disability advocate in the statehouse, Rep. Charlie Meier, R-Okawville, gathered with advocates and parents Tuesday to speak about his proposed legislation that would address their perceived failings of the state’s Department of Human Services.

House Bill 5129 would prevent families or guardians of children with developmental disabilities from having to give up custody of their child in order to access more state services.

While addressing the public regarding issues related to the department, Meier held up an audit of the department.

“This is one of the audits from the audit commission. I ordered that audit. I reviewed that audit as a member of the audit commission. It’s one of the worst in the state history,” Meier said. “Faculty failures, personnel failures, lack of reporting, no oversight. You name it. It’s in there. Gov. Pritzker and his leadership at DHS has been a total failure.”

In an informational hearing Tuesday, Meg Cooch, from the Illinois Department of Human Services, said there is nothing that directs anyone from her agency to suggest the parents should give up guardianship.

The representative introduced Danita Dorsey, who spoke about her family’s experience reportedly being pressured by DHS staff to surrender her and her husband’s guardianship over their son, Gregory, in order for him to receive state care.

Dorsey said they faced legal hurdles and bureaucratic roadblocks before a court ruled in their favor, placing Gregory in a state-run facility near where they live in Southern Illinois.

Rep. Steven Reick, R-Woodstock, was among a bipartisan group of lawmakers highly critical of the department in the hearing.

“If a situation exists where a family has to spend money, time, all the emotional stuff that goes with it, I think it’s incumbent upon your agency to do something and do something quick,” Reick said.

Meier spoke about additional legislation he’s proposed this session, calling on lawmakers to bring reform to the department.

Among them is House Bill 1122, which he said would make clarifications to current statutes requiring the department to review all emergency 911 calls stemming from community integrated living arrangements and other group living settings.

“So, those 911 reports sit on a desk, nobody looks at them. How do they know what’s going on in CILA? Why can’t they figure out themselves what ‘emergency’ means?” Meier asked. “So, we need to look at how we’re going to get them to pass House Bill 1122 to help DHS figure out the definition of emergency.”

Meier has multiple pieces of legislation expected to be heard in house committees this week.