Statewide Independent LivingCouncil of Illinois
Statewide Independent LivingExecutive Committee:
Members:
Absent:
Staff:
Guests:
Call to Order: The quarterly meeting of the Statewide Independent Living Council of Illinois was called to order by Chair Arellano at 10:05 a.m. on Thursday, May 4, 2006. Arellano welcomed members and guests present. Introductions were made.
Approval of Minutes: The minutes of the February 2, 2006 SILC meeting were distributed for review. There was one correction.
MOTION: Miller motioned to approve the February 2, 2006 minutes with the correction that Willie Gunther was not present. Gunther seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Homeownership Coalition Update: Broeker discussed the decision by the Executive Committee to allow the Homeownership Coalition to participate in bingo as a means to raise funds for operating costs. We began April 23 and will host bingo night at Victory Hall in Springfield for four Sundays in a row. Then the Executive Committee will evaluate the benefit and decide if we should continue. There was discussion about current grants and the future of the Homeownership Coalition.
DHS Audit: Broeker reported that SILC has had an independent audit every year since its establishment but this is the first time the Department of Human Services has conducted an internal audit of the organization. DHS spent three days in the office reviewing the account procedures as well as policies, by-laws, etc. There were significant findings on the report that SILC needs to address immediately.
Broeker introduced SILC’s accountant, Richard Grafton, who is here today to review the concerns DHS has and provide guidance for developing a corrective action plan. Grafton is with Estes, Bridgewater and Ogden who did SILC’s audit last year. Richard reviewed the findings identified by DHS and discussed some of the ways SILC can correct these issues. One finding is a failure to appropriately segregate fiscal functions. To remedy this finding it is recommended that we remove Tara Dunning as a signer on the checks. Other findings include incomplete fiscal policy, general ledger numbering scheme, missing accounts, etc. Some of these findings are surprising to Mr. Grafton who feels that all of the findings are important to address but are small in nature.
Estes, Bridgewater and Ogden will work with the Financial Manager to correct and simplify some of the accounting procedures. A corrective action plan was discussed and will be shared with DHS and implemented immediately. This includes revisions to the fiscal policy, by-laws, personnel policy, removing Dunning and Grove as signers on the checking account and working closely with the accountant to correct the way some accounts are set up in QuickBooks.
INCIL Report: Ann Ford discussed two specific initiatives that INCIL has. One is the Olmstead Implementation Act. The Act was not successful but INCIL has the support of several legislators who are committed to see the bill through. The other issue that INCIL has invested lots of time towards is getting money in the budget for the Centers for Independent Living. Formula funding is a concept that INCIL has been working on getting in the budget for years.
Gail Kear the newly appointed INCIL representative on the SILC reported on the Disability Vote Project. I’d Vote is strictly nonpartisan and politically neutral. The entire effort revolves around increasing the percentage of people with disabilities that vote.
There was discussion about the new 704 reporting document and how SILC and CILs can get comments to RSA regarding the changes and problems with the document. Williams has encouraged all CILs to write RSA regarding their concerns and he asked SILC to do the same.
Campaign for Real Choice: Lester Pritchard discussed the organization he and his wife founded on the premise of participatory democracy, and the belief that meaningful reforms in the system of supports and service for people with disabilities will come only with active involvement of people with disabilities themselves, and their families, friends and supporters. Our mission is to change Illinois from a state that maintains institutions to one that supports the needs and preferences of people with disabilities.
Eric Guidish discussed the Freedom Ride organized by the Campaign for Real Choice last October, 2005. This event has led the Pritchards and members of Campaign for Real Choice to draft the Freedom Order asking the Governor to immediately implement the Olmstead decision.
Lester Pritchard stated that he was here today to ask SILC to support Campaign for Real Choice in its initiatives and to sign the Freedom Order.
MOTION: Karner motioned that the Statewide Independent Living Council of Illinois support the Campaign for Real Choice and the Freedom Order. Motion seconded by Gunther. Motion passed.
At this time the Council recessed for lunch.
The meeting was reconvened following lunch at 1:15 pm.
Chair Report: Arellano discussed his trip to SILC Congress in January. There was discussion about the current immigration issues.
Executive Director Report: Broeker discussed items in the packet which include a letter from him to the newspapers criticizing Medicare Part D and the cuts to independent living services on the Federal level.
Broeker discussed recent nursing home data that gave statistics on the percentage of nursing homes per state that are cited for abuse and neglect. Illinois had 16.2% of nursing homes reported in the last fiscal year. The survey also gave statistics on ages of people residing in nursing homes. Illinois is listed as one of the states having one of the highest numbers of people living in nursing homes. Discussion moved on to reintegration of institutionalized people and the need for more home services.
Planning Committee Report: Committee Chair Karner reported that the Planning Committee met last week to discuss progress on the 05-07 SPIL. Among the items which are in the goals is increase in the Home Services Program at DHS.
MOTION: Karner motioned that SILC draft a letter stating SILC’s willingness to work with the Home Services Program (HSP) on limiting the growth of the HSP but that we feel that it is premature to have people being removed from the program or have their hours reduced. The criteria for Determination of Need (DON) score are made objective rather than subjective based upon the scorer’s individual experiences and knowledge of the system.
Broeker also discussed HIMMA which is also known as the ENZI bill on the Federal level, and that is currently being debated in the U.S. senate, and we have been asked on several occasions to contact our senators to ask them to vote no. Durbin and Obama's offices stated that they are voting no on the ENZI bill. Presentation: Judy Panko Reis discussed her advocacy efforts and development of a white paper on healthcare for people with disabilities. There are concerns that the acute healthcare setting, just normal healthcare facilities where people are getting treated for their primary care are not accessible.
Operations Committee Report: Committee Chair Gunther reported the Operations Committee met this morning and discussed several issues including the DHS Audit.
MOTION: Gunther motioned that SILC in order to comply with the shortcomings of the administrative review (DHS Audit) review and address each point and correct the process and procedures to accommodate it. Johnson seconded the motion. Motion carried.
MOTION: Gunther motioned the Executive Director be given authority to sign all checks under $1,000 and any check written for over $1,000 will require two signatures. The second signature being that of the Treasurer or other appointed voting member. Johnson seconded the motion. Motion carried.
MOTION: Gunther motioned to approve the fiscal year 2007 SILC budget for the DHS Homeownership grant and the DHS Youth Summit grant. Johnson seconded the motion. Motion carried.
MOTION: Johnson motioned to approve the DHS Operations grant. Panko Reis seconded the motion. Motion carried.
MOTION: Kear motioned to approve $2,000 non annualized salary enhancement on or before June 30, 2006 for all three staff. Gunther seconded the motion. Motion carried.
MOTION: Kear motioned SILC shall obtain legal opinion on compliance of our personnel policies and by-laws with Federal and State laws and contractual obligations. Johnson seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Adjournment: Chair Arellano called the meeting of the Statewide Independent Living Council of Illinois adjourned.
Next Meeting: The next meeting of the Statewide Independent Living Council will be held on Thursday, August 3, 2006.
Minutes prepared for J. Anel Gonzalez, Secretary by Tara Dunning and Gerard Broeker
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