Topinka to give developmentally disabled priority

SPRINGFIELD — With Illinois’ backlog of unpaid bills reaching $8.5 billion, the state’s fiscal officer announced Tuesday her office will give precedence to paying providers of services for the developmentally disabled.

The order from Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka came a day after group homes and other agencies for the developmentally disabled were notified by the state Department of Human Services that there wasn’t enough money in the current budget to pay them for their services this year.

That discouraging letter, dated Monday, told providers they wouldn’t be paid for one month of services this fiscal year and that deferred payments would come out of next year’s budget. Even then, the money would be subject to ongoing payment delays, according to the letter, first reported by The (Champaign) News-Gazette.

The payment lag for some facilities would stretch to more than four months, said the letter from Kevin Casey, director of the department’s Division of Developmental Disabilities.

Late payments have become the norm in Illinois. It’s part of the state’s policy of not paying billions of dollars in bills for months at a time. Unpaid bills have meant nonprofit agencies have fired workers, borrowed money and delayed paying staff.

Topinka’s office estimates the state’s backlog of unpaid bills has reached $8.5 billion

The comptroller’s office will immediately begin making payments to providers for the developmentally disabled when the new fiscal year begins July 1, Topinka said in a written statement released to news organizations.

“Those serving the developmentally disabled should know that we will make their payments as soon as the information reaches our door,” Topinka said. “People literally rely on these programs for survival, and they will take priority.”

The decision means other nonprofits and businesses will sink lower in the ranking of who gets paid when, Topinka spokesman Bradley Hahn acknowledged.

“We’re talking about services that our most vulnerable residents literally rely on for survival, and Comptroller Topinka strongly believes it is unacceptable to make them wait four to five months for payment,” Hahn said.