Stalled budget affecting disabled
SPRINGFIELD-- The Illinois budget impasse means hundreds of disabled former state employees won't get their workers' compensation checks on time, providing an early example of the impact of the deadlock, officials confirmed Friday.
A memo obtained by The Associated Press points out that without a budget, the Blagojevich administration has no spending authority to make August payments to totally disabled former employees or the dependents of those who died on the job.
The delay affects 395 people who monthly receive payments totaling $594,000, according to a Department of Central Management Services spokeswoman. The payments will be mailed as soon as possible after a new budget is signed into law, the memo said.
The impasse has dragged on for more than two months, and the budget expired Tuesday. But until now, it hasn't affected state services.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich is pressing lawmakers to pass a one-month budget extension to keep government operating while negotiations continue. But legislative leaders reject that approach, saying they are getting closer to a deal on a full-year budget.
State officials have said operating without a budget wouldn't disrupt services until Aug. 8, when the comptroller is supposed to begin processing paychecks.
The governor and legislative leaders shuttled from office to office Friday but reported no breakthroughs on the budget.
"Don't use the people of Illinois as pawns in dangerous game of 'chicken,'æ" Blagojevich said after meeting with the Senate president, "but instead, pass another temporary one-month budget to keep things going."
The second-term Democrat criticized the use of temporary budgets in June. Now, however, he favors them and has threatened to shut down state government if lawmakers send him a hastily prepared, unacceptable budget for the full year.
The workers' comp memo, sent to employee-benefits managers at Central Management Services, included a list of questions agency employees might encounter on the status of benefits in the absence of a state spending plan.
Checks for workers' compensation pension and death benefits were scheduled to be processed Friday. The memo said they "will be delayed but will be processed as quickly as possible once a budget agreement is reached."
After being questioned about the memo, CMS spokeswoman Susan Hofer said checks would, in fact, be processed Friday and sent to the comptroller's office for payment as soon as a budget is approved.
"Obviously, we want people to get their benefits," Hofer said.
People who receive workers' compensation payments for a temporary disability are not yet affected. Those 750 people will receive payments for the last half of July as scheduled.