Health & Benefits

General Assistance (GA) is a program of "last resort." That means that you can only get GA if you can't get any other form of public benefits. GA provides help to eligible residents in the form of cash or voucher payments. 

Adults without minor children and families may qualify for General Assistance (GA) if they are currently not eligible for any other State or Federal Assistance programs. 

To be eligible for GA, you must:

• Be a resident of Illinois (a permanent address is not needed),
• Live in the township, and
• Be a US citizen or a qualifying non-citizen.

You must also meet the income and asset rules. Your monthly income must be less than the GA benefit amount. The amount of assets that you can have depends on your township’s rules. But your house, furniture, clothing, one car, and tools for your business are generally exempt and don’t count as assets. Some townships may also require you to submit to a urine drug test.

Families who can’t get Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) might be eligible for GA instead. But, if you can’t get TANF because you are over the 60-month limit or because you are being punished or sanctioned, you are not eligible to get GA. 

In addition to meeting the general eligibility criteria listed above, adults can get General Assistance (GA) if they are any one of the following:

• Age 21 or over, or
• Married and living with a spouse, or
• Age 18-20 and not living with a parent.

Some GA programs only offer benefits to adults who are “not employable.” The GA program for “not employable” adults is called Transitional Assistance. 

Check with your local township office for their specific eligibility criteria for adults. 

In addition to meeting the general eligibility criteria listed above, a family can get General Assistance (GA) if there is a:

• Child under age 18, or
• Child who is 18 and going to school full time, or
• Pregnant woman in the household.

The GA program for families is called Family and Children Assistance (FCA).

Check with your local township office for their specific eligibility criteria for families. 

If you are a “qualified immigrant,” you may be eligible for General Assistance (GA) benefits. Learn more about “qualified immigrants.”

Yes. You cannot get General Assistance (GA) if you have two criminal convictions for violating public aid rules. But, a drug-related felony conviction will not disqualify you from receiving GA.

You can apply for General Assistance (GA) by filing a written application with your local township office. When you ask for GA, your local township must give you an application form. The township must process your application within 30-45 days. They can’t deny your application because they claim to lack the money. They can ask you to provide certain documents, like bank statements and pay stubs. 

You can find a list of townships on the Township Officials of Illinois website. Learn more about applying for General Assistance.

Yes, some townships provide cash assistance. The type and amount of payment depend on your local township’s rules. Some townships give a small monthly payment by check, and other townships provide vouchers to vendors like your landlord. Monthly payments may go up depending on family size, but may not meet all of your needs. For example, payments may go up based on the number of children in the family.

Some townships provide assistance in the form of vouchers that you can use to pay for your basic needs. The township will look at certain basic needs that you must show you can’t pay for without help. The monthly payment level for each voucher may not meet all of your needs.

Examples of basic needs are:

• Shelter costs like rent,
• Food,
• Utilities,
• Clothing,
• Household supplies,
• Personal essentials, 
• Laundry, and
• Necessary medical care.

Many townships will give more assistance if there are special needs. For example, more assistance may be given if you have diabetes or need childcare while you go to school or job training. But this doesn’t apply to employment.

In some cases, a township may help pay for funeral and burial costs.

Some townships may provide assistance with qualified home repairs.

Townships may pay for pressing medical needs if you have no other way to pay. Townships will only pay for medical care that you have to get.

If you have children, you should apply for All Kids medical coverage from DHS. You can get more information on applying for All Kids on the Application for Benefits Eligibility website.

If you are between the ages of 19 and 64 years old, you should apply for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Adult Medicaid program. ACA Medicaid provides medical coverage for most adults who are eligible for General Assistance (GA). You can find more information on applying for ACA Adult Medicaid on the Application for Benefits Eligibility website or at Get Covered Illinois.

If you can’t get ACA Medicaid, but you can get GA, you might be able to get medical assistance from the township. But, medical assistance from the township will be less than ACA Medicaid. Townships may provide either:

• Necessary treatment, care, and supplies required because of illness or disability, or
• Acute medical treatment, care, and supplies only.

Townships usually won’t pay for:

• Preventative medical care,
• Optical,
• Chiropractic, or
• Non-emergency dental care.

For non-emergency dental care, you must get approval from the GA office before you get the care.

If you already get General Assistance (GA), you can’t also get emergency assistance.

You can get emergency assistance only one time per year from your township. A township may provide emergency assistance:

• In life-threatening situations, and
• To help someone take care of themselves.

Some townships may provide assistance when a disaster is declared. 

If you received General Assistance (GA) while waiting for disability or SSI benefits from Social Security, you will have to repay GA but only if you are approved for disability and receive a back benefit. 

If you receive disaster assistance from GA and then are approved by FEMA, you will have to repay GA.

Yes. You have 60 days from the date on the notice to appeal a General Assistance (GA) decision. If you are currently getting GA benefits and file an appeal within 10 days, you can continue to get assistance until you get an appeal decision. Learn more about how to appeal a GA decision.