IL HB1104

Reinstitutes state-funded General Assistance programs effective July 1, 2023, creating two separate programs: State Transitional Assistance for adults without children and State Family and Children Assistance for families with children and pregnant women.

State Transitional Assistance eligibility requires being ineligible for AABD and TANF benefits, age 18 or over (or married regardless of age), with non-chronically needy individuals limited to 9 months of assistance in fiscal year 2023 and 6 months per 12-month period thereafter.

Individuals determined to be "chronically needy" (those too impaired to work but without SSI-qualifying disabilities, or with substantial barriers to employment) become eligible for continued State Transitional Assistance without time limits; criteria include serious physical/mental disabilities, age 50+ without education/employment history, caregiving responsibilities, substance abuse issues, or homelessness.

State Family and Children Assistance covers families with children under age 18 (or age 18 full-time students expected to graduate before age 19) and pregnant women with verified pregnancies, all ineligible for AABD and TANF.

Drug-related felony convictions cannot disqualify applicants from either program; assistance payments are excluded from income calculations for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program eligibility (subject to federal approval).