Health & Benefits

In Illinois, children with disabilities can go to public school until the day before they turn 22. But if they turn 22 during the school year, they can keep going to school until that school year ends. However, planning for life after school, called transition planning, starts much earlier than that.

Children with disabilities who have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) must start planning their transition out of school years before it happens. The school should evaluate a student with an IEP to figure out what their goals are after high school and to learn more about their strengths and weaknesses. 

In Illinois, a student’s IEP must include the following by the time they are age 14½:

• Goals for what the student wants to do after high school, like getting a job, going to college or training, and living on their own if needed, and
• The services and classes the student will need to reach those goals, including help from people or groups outside the school if needed. This includes activities outside of school that help the student get ready to live in the community. 

The IEP transition plan must clearly say who is responsible for each transition service. This can include organizations outside the school that can help give or pay for services. For example, the Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) provides services through the Illinois Department of Human Services.  

A student can stay in school even if they get all their high school credits before they turn 22. The IEP team will decide if it would be good for the student to stay in school until the day before they turn 22. The student can use this time to work on daily living and job skills. 

If you have any questions about your child’s transition plan, contact your child’s IEP team. Learn more about setting up an IEP. 

Social Security offers two programs for people with disabilities who have a limited ability to do substantial work. The programs are: 

• Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI or SSD), and
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI). 

SSDI is an insurance program that provides monthly income to workers who become disabled and certain members of their families. Additionally, an adult who has a disability can receive SSDI if they:

• Are age 18 or older,
• Unmarried,
• Have a disability that started before age 22,
• Do not have substantial earnings ($1,620, or $2,700 if blind, a month in 2025), and
• Their parent is deceased or starts receiving Social Security retirement or disability benefits.

SSI provides monthly income for people who have:

• Little or no income and less than $2,000 in assets, and
• A disability, blindness, or are age 65 or older.

How much you receive in SSI benefits depends on your monthly income. 

Read more about the Disabilities guidebook: Social Security disability benefits and the Social Security Administration’s Disability benefits | How does someone become eligible page.

Note: People with disabilities can work and save money in certain ways without losing their benefits. See Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE), Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS), and special needs trusts below.

Children with disabilities may be eligible for Medicaid even after they turn 18. This depends on their income level and assets. Learn more about Medicaid eligibility.

Medicare is available for people with disabilities who have been receiving SSDI for at least two years. Read more about Enrolling in Medicare and Getting Medicare benefits.

Note: People with disabilities can work and save money in certain ways without losing their benefits. See ABLE, PASS, and special needs trusts below.

There are programs that help people with disabilities in Illinois find work. These include:

• The State Vocational Rehabilitation Program: This program helps people with disabilities find and keep a job. The Illinois Department of Human Services Division of Rehabilitation Services, or DRS, runs this program.
  • Supported Employment Services: DRS also provides supported employment services to help individuals with the most severe disabilities find and keep jobs.
• The Ticket to Work Program: This program helps Social Security recipients access employment support services. The Social Security Administration runs this program.

Learn more about helping someone with a disability find work.

In addition, SSI recipients can participate in the Plan for Achieving Self-Support (PASS) program. PASS is a program that allows SSI recipients to set aside income and assets needed to meet a specific work goal. A work goal can be something like starting a business or getting a job. Money set aside must be used to pay for things related to the work goal. This might include supplies to start a business, school expenses, equipment and tools, transportation, uniforms, and childcare.

The money and assets set aside for the PASS program do not reduce your SSI payments. Additionally, if you receive SSI and SSDI, you can set aside all or part of your SSDI for the PASS program. Any SSDI you set aside for a PASS program will not reduce your SSI payment.

More information on the PASS program is available in the Disabilities guidebook: Social Security disability benefits and the Social Security Administration PASS page.

A Community Integrated Living Arrangement (CILA) is a supervised home environment where eight or fewer people with mental illness or developmental disabilities live together. CILA programs offer different levels of supervision and support, depending on the needs of the residents. This ranges from adult foster care, or 24-hour care programs, to participants living in their family’s home while receiving CILA services. To be eligible for a CILA program, someone must:

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

Additionally, the CILA participant, or their guardian, must:

• Agree to help develop a services plan and
• Agree to participate in the CILA program.

Learn more about community integrated living arrangements and other housing programs for minors and people with disabilities.

There are ways for people with disabilities to save and invest without losing access to government benefits like SSI, SSDI, or Medicaid. This includes an Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) account, special needs trust, and life insurance policy.

Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) accounts help people with disabilities save money without losing access to important benefits like SSI, SSDI, or Medicaid. These accounts allow savings to grow tax-free if the money is used for qualified disability expenses. This includes things like housing, education, job training, health care, and everyday living costs.

People who get SSI can save up to $100,000 in their ABLE account and still receive their monthly SSI benefits. In Illinois, anyone can put money into an IL ABLE account. This includes family, friends, and the beneficiary. Up to $19,000 can be placed in the account each year. If the person with a disability is working and not using a retirement plan at work, they can invest an extra $15,060 per year.

IL ABLE accounts also come with a debit card, have low fees, and have certain state tax benefits.

For more information on ABLE accounts, visit the Illinois Treasurer's ABLE and FAQ pages.

Special needs trusts allow a person with a disability to receive money or property without losing benefits like SSI or Medicaid. SSI and Medicaid each have a $2,000 asset limit, but money placed in a special needs trust does not count toward that limit.

Parents, grandparents, or others can set up a trust to help pay for things that benefits do not cover. This includes things like personal care, recreation, transportation, or education. Depending on the source of the money, there are different types of special needs trusts. 

Special needs trusts are complicated and have strict rules. If you are thinking about creating one, you should speak with an attorney who understands disability and trust law.

For parents of children with disabilities, life insurance policies can help make sure your child is cared for if you die. Life insurance can also fund a special needs trust, making it so your child does not lose benefits like SSI and Medicaid.

If you are interested in setting up a life insurance policy, you should speak to a financial expert. If you want the life insurance to fund a special needs trust, you may want to speak to an attorney who specializes in disability and trust law.

Depending on what you'd like to do, getting a lawyer to help you may be a good idea. You can use Get Legal Help to find a free legal aid organization or private lawyer near you.

The Illinois State Bar Association also offers a 30-minute consultation phone call for a fixed rate of $25. This may be a good option if you are unsure whether you want to hire an attorney. This can save you the time of traveling. You can also search this directory for a lawyer who meets your needs.