What is a Community Integrated Living Arrangement (CILA)?

A CILA is a supervised home environment in which eight or fewer people with mental illness or developmental disabilities live together.

Types of CILA Living Arrangements

A CILA may provide different levels of supervision and support, depending on the needs of the residents. The following are some examples:

• Adult Foster Care: The resident lives in the home of a family to whom he is not related.
• 24 Hour Care: A group of residents lives together in a facility, with constant, on-site supervision.
• Intermittent Care: A group of residents lives together in a facility, with intermittent on-site supervision.

A CILA participant also can remain living in the home of his natural family. In this case, the CILA program does not provide housing. It will provide other services to assist the participant.

Starting in 2024, the Department of Human Services plans to pilot Long-Term and Short-Term Stabilization Support programs. Residents may be placed in this program if they are at risk of needing facility-based care due to behavioral challenges in other CILA settings. No more than 4 residents would live together in these settings.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a CILA program, you must:

• Be at least 18 years of age, 
• Have a mental or developmental disability, and
• Be in need of an array of services and a supervised living arrangement.

In addition, you or your guardian must: 

• agree to help develop and put your services plan into effect, and
• agree to participate in all aspects of the CILA program.

How To Find and Get Into a CILA Program

You can locate CILA programs by contacting the Center for Independent Living (CIL) serving your area. A CIL is a non-profit that helps people with disabilities in locating and getting a wide range of independent living services.

You can also find services from youths up to age 21 through the Illinois Department of Human Services.

What Is the Community Integrated Living Arrangements Licensure Act?

This is an Illinois law which puts in place minimum standards that must be met by CILA programs.

What Is Its Purpose?

To make sure that CILA participants receive appropriate care and services to develop independent living skills.

Who enforces the Act?

The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) is the state agency which enforces the Act. A provider must obtain a license from IDHS to operate a CILA program. The agency is required to inspect the records and premises of CILA programs at least once every two years.

What services must a CILA program provide?

A CILA program must:

• help you with safe and stable community integrated housing, and
• help you make progress toward the goal of self-sufficiency and economic independence. 

The CILA program may provide assistance with the following, depending on your needs:

• Locating and obtaining education or vocational training, or employment;
• Obtaining necessary medical attention and rehabilitation services or therapy;
• Developing independent living skills, such as bathing, housekeeping, cooking, and shopping;
• Developing money management skills;
• Meeting transit needs; or
• Locating and joining in leisure, recreation, religion and social activities.

Individual Integrated Services Plan

In order to determine the services you will need, the CILA program first will perform a thorough assessment. This will include assessment of:

• Your medical and dental condition;
• Your mental condition;
• Your education and work experience; and
• Your ability to perform daily activities by yourself.

After the assessment, the experts will work with the CILA program to develop the service plan. This is a written plan which includes:

• A description of the services you need;
• Your role and that of your guardian, significant others, and family in implementing the plan;
• A timetable for reaching your goals; and
• The name of the person(s) responsible for providing and supervising the services called for by the plan.

You, your parent or guardian, or other persons close to you, are entitled to be involved in the process of developing the plan. 

The CILA must complete the service plan within 30 days after you enter the CILA program. The program must re-evaluate the service plan:

• Every 6 months for participants with mental illness, and 
• Annually for persons with a developmental disability.

How to Protect or Enforce Your Rights

Your Rights As a CILA Participant

The Mental Health and Developmental Disability Code (MHDD Code) protects the rights of CILA participants. 

The CILA Act further provides that a program should never impose seclusion on a CILA participant. Seclusion means the placement of a person alone in a room from which he or she has no means of leaving.

Appeals to the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services

In many cases, the services you receive from a CILA may be funded by Medicaid, under a program called the Medicaid Home and Community Based Services Waiver Program. If you are applying for or receiving CILA services covered by Medicaid under the Waiver Program, you are entitled to receive a written notice informing you of any decision to 

• Deny, 
• Reduce, 
• Suspend, or 
• Terminate your Waiver funded services, and 
• Your right to file an appeal.

If you disagree with the decision, you must file the appeal within 60 days of the date of the notice. If you file your appeal within 10 days of the date of the notice, your services should not be suspended or reduced while the appeal process is ongoing. 

The appeal must be filed in writing and sent to:

Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services
Bureau of Administrative Hearings
401 S. Clinton Avenue, 6th Floor
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 793-2658

Upon receiving your appeal, HFS will schedule a "fair hearing." It will be held in the HFS office nearest your home. At the hearing, you can present your case before a hearing officer. HFS will then issue a written decision. At the hearing, you have the rights:

• To be represented by a lawyer, a friend or relative;
• To present the testimony of witnesses; and
• To present documents supporting your case.

Review by a Court

If the hearing officer rules against you, you may file a lawsuit in the Illinois Circuit Court. You must file any such lawsuit no later than 35 days from the date that the decision was sent to you.

You or your lawyer can make written and oral arguments in support of your case. The judge will decide whether HFS and the hearing officer fairly considered the facts and properly applied the law. The judge can: 

• Approve your claim, 
• Deny your claim, or 
• Remand your case to the HFS to be reevaluated in accordance with the judge's instructions.

Complaints to the Department of Human Services

The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) enforces the Community Integrated Living Arrangements Licensure Act. 

If you believe that a facility is violating the Act, you may file a complaint with IDHS, at:

Illinois Dept. of Human Services
Bureau of Accreditation, Licensure, and Certification
401 N. 4th Street
Springfield, IL 62701-1402
(217) 557-9282
or
160 N. LaSalle, Suite N-700
Chicago, IL 60601
(312) 814-4951

To file a complaint concerning physical abuse, call the Abuse Hotline at (800) 368-1463.

Upon receiving your complaint, IDHS will conduct an investigation. IDHS will notify you of the results of their investigation upon your written request.

If the facility fails or refuses to correct the violation, IDHS may 

• Suspend their funding
• Close down individual sites, or 
• Revoke the program's license and force them to shut down.

IDHS will not reveal your identity without your written permission unless IDHS needs to file a court case. The facility cannot transfer, discharge, evict, harass, or retaliate against you because you made a complaint or gave information in an IDHS investigation.

Appeals to the CILA Program

In addition to filing a complaint with IDHS, you or your guardian can present grievances directly to the CILA provider agency. The CILA program must establish and inform you of their procedures by which you may file a grievance. The process must allow you to obtain a final decision from the person in charge of the provider agency that operates the CILA program.

Court Review

If you are not satisfied with the final decision made on your appeal by the CILA program, you may file a complaint in Illinois Circuit Court. You must file this lawsuit no later than 35 days from the date that the final decision was made.

Where to Go for More Information

Statutes and Regulations

The Community Integrated Living Arrangements Licensure Act is found at 210 ILCS 135/1.

The regulations which establish the specific standards which Community Living Facilities must meet are found at 59 Ill.Admin.Code Part 115.

The portion of the regulations concerning residents rights and appeals is found at 59 Ill.Admin.Code 115.250.

The regulations concerning the Medicaid Home and Community Based Services Waiver Program are found at 59 Ill.Admin.Code Part 120.

The regulations concerning the Medicaid appeals process are found at 89 Ill.Admin.Code Part 104.