Illinois § 10

§ 10.

Operation of the Program. (a) The Veterans' Health Insurance Program is created. This Program is not an entitlement. Enrollment is based on the availability of funds, and enrollment may be capped based on funds appropriated for the Program. As soon as practical after the effective date of this Act, coverage for this Program shall begin. The Program shall be administered by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Department shall have the same powers and authority to administer the Program as are provided to the Department in connection with the Department's administration of the Illinois Public Aid Code. The Department shall coordinate the Program with other health programs operated by the Department and other State and federal agencies. (b) The Department shall operate the Program in a manner so that the estimated cost of the Program during the fiscal year will not exceed the total appropriation for the Program. The Department may take any appropriate action to limit spending or enrollment into the Program, including, but not limited to, ceasing to accept or process applications, reviewing eligibility more frequently than annually, adjusting cost-sharing, or reducing the income threshold for eligibility as necessary to control expenditures for the Program. (c) Notwithstanding subsections (a) and (b) and with the mutual agreement of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, the operation of the Program may be changed to simplify its administration and to take advantage of health insurance coverage that may be available to veterans under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. (Source: P.A. 104-234, eff. 8-15-25.)