©2011 Galesburg Broadcasting Co.
| State Owes Human Service Providers Big Time |
The group Donors Forum now has numbers on what many in Illinois have suspected: State government is woefully behind at paying non-profit human services providers.
According to a national study by the Urban Institute, Illinois is the worst in the nation on several fronts.
■ Nearly three in four (72 percent) Illinois nonprofit organizations report delays in state reimbursements for services rendered, compared to 41 percent of nonprofit providers nationally
■ Almost two thirds (65 percent) of Illinois nonprofits report freezing or cutting salaries and more than half (54 percent) have cut jobs due to late payments
■ 59 percent of Illinois nonprofits say that government reimbursements don't cover costs, earning the state the ranking of third worst in the nation
■ Illinois was also third worst (72 percent) in governments' changing the terms of contracts and grants midstream, which makes it difficult to prepare reliable budgets or service programs.
Laurel O'Sullivan, vice president for public policy at Donors Forum, said, "Illinois is failing its residents just at the time when they need high-quality services the most. Unfortunately, this is just further evidence that Illinois' system for human services is broken and needs to be fixed."
Her group wants a published report on how much state government owes providers, and the lag in payments. It also wants a liaison to the governor's office, more involvement by people involved in the system, and a plan to reward, rather than decrease funding for, non-profits that are trying to be more efficient.
(Illinois Radio Network) |
|
| 10 08 10 by Newsroom |
Click here for the WGIL News Archive
Click here for national news
The following provision applies to all visitors (which shall include persons and representatives of legal entities, whether such representatives are persons or digital engines of a kind that crawls, indexes, scrapes, copies, stores or transmits digital content). By accessing this Web site or digital service, you specifically acknowledge and agree that: (i) Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium; (ii) No Associated Press materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use; (iii) The Associated Press will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing; (iv) The Associated Press is an intended third party beneficiary of these terms and conditions and it may exercise all rights and remedies available to it; and (v) The Associated Press reserves the right to audit possible unauthorized commercial use of AP materials or any portion thereof at any time.
