Public Accountability Report

The mission of the Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission is to safeguard the rights of persons with disabilities by providing public guardianship services, legal representation, and a process to investigate alleged disability rights violations. The Commission's enabling legislation is the Guardianship and Advocacy Act of 1979 (20 ILCS 3955/1 et seq.). The Commission is governed by 11 Commissioners appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate for three-year terms of office. Each Commissioner provides specific expertise consistent with the Commission's mission to serve persons with disabilities.

The Commission fulfills its mission through these primary programs: the Human Rights Authority (HRA), which through nine regional panels of citizen volunteers, investigates alleged rights violations committed against persons with disabilities by disability service providers; the Legal Advocacy Service (LAS), which provides legal advice and representation to individuals with disabilities; the Office of State Guardian (OSG), which serves as the court-appointed guardian of last resort for adults with disabilities; and the Special Education Initiative, which is a collaboration of the HRA and the LAS to help Illinois families navigate special education through training, advocacy, and legal support.

HRA measures focus on the program's ability to negotiate improved disability rights protections with service providers when rights violations are investigated, substantiated, and corrected.  Substantiated rights violations result in recommendations that focus on systemic changes to provider policies, procedures, and/or practices that benefit both current and future service recipients. In fiscal year 2024, 95% of recommendations issued were accepted and implemented by disability service providers investigated. Implemented recommendations impacted 151,552 persons with disabilities at an average cost of $9 per person impacted.

LAS measures exemplify a high level of service provision at a very efficient cost. In fiscal year 2024, 10,161 were served at an average cost of $236 per client, and 9,303 cases were handled at an average cost of $258 per case. When compared to private sector legal rights, the LAS budget represents 27% of private sector costs for the same amount of legal hours. The LAS also assists individuals with mental health advance directives as a means to self-direct future service provision; the LAS assisted with 626 requests for advance directives in fiscal year 2024.

The OSG served as guardian for 4,760 persons in fiscal year 2024. Alternative guardianship sources are sought, when possible, and were found in 79% of referrals in fiscal year 2024. When appropriate, the OSG seeks community living options for its wards, with 49% residing in the community during fiscal year 2024. The average OSG person caseload remains higher than national averages at 106 per caseworker. OSG output measures demonstrate the numerous case management activities completed on behalf of OSG wards. The average cost of individuals served under the OSG and through its intake unit was $1,175 per person in fiscal year 2024.

The Special Education Initiative, a collaboration of the HRA and the LAS, trained 165 persons on special education laws in fiscal year 2024, served 345 individuals, and handled 61 outreach events. 

General Cross-Divisional Projects provide for internal staff development, enhance public awareness of the Commission, and target OSG wards who may be eligible for rights restorations. In fiscal year 2024, 447 trainings were provided internally to agency staff, 1,111 outreach activities occurred, and 45 OSG wards were identified as possible referrals for rights restorations.