IL SB2894

Mandates a $1.20 per hour wage increase for direct support professionals (DSPs) and other frontline personnel serving persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities, effective January 1, 2027.

Applies to community-based residential programs, day services, ID/DD and MC/DD facilities, and service coordination agencies, subject to federal Medicaid waiver approval.

Prohibits community-based providers from using the rate increases for operational or administrative expenses; funds must go directly to frontline worker wages.

Grants emergency rulemaking authority to the Department of Human Services and Department of Healthcare and Family Services to implement the rate increases expeditiously.

Cites findings that approximately 22,000 individuals with disabilities are served in community settings, and nearly half of direct care workers rely on public assistance due to low wages caused by historically inadequate state reimbursement rates.