For the eighth year in a row now, Illinois has been at the bottom of an annual study that rates how well each state in the U.S.'s Medicaid programs serve its citizens with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD).
United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) announced the findings in its 2014 report, "The Case for Inclusion," which assesses states that offer the best and worst services for those with ID/DD. The amount of spending on Medicaid is not a factor.
"The Case for Inclusion shows how well each individual state is performing overall; how each state matches up against other states regarding key data measures; and, most importantly, the top performing states with policies and practices that should be replicated," according to the report.
UCP graded all 50 states, including the District of Columbia, on the following five categories to come up with overall rankings. Here's how Illinois' ranked for each category:
Promoting independence: 49
Tracking health, safety and quality of life: 11
Keeping families together: 47
Promoting productivity: 36
Reaching those in need: 43
Illinois consistently has made the bottom of the list since UCP began the study. It also was one of 12 states that did not meet the 80/80 community standard, "which means that at least 80 percent of all individuals with ID/DD are served in the community and 80 percent of all resources spent on those with ID/DD are for community support," according to the report.
Check out the list of the top 10 best and worst states at Reboot Illinois to see where Illinois ranks against other states, plus recommendations from the report's authors on how Illinois and other states can improve in services for its disabled citizens.
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