The Supported Decision-Making Act

Illinois recently passed Public Act 104-0614, the Supported Decision-Making Act, which will go into effect on February 27, 2022.  This Act will provide an extremely beneficial tool for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
 
Under current Illinois law, those adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities are subjected to restrictive and costly guardianships.  Supported decision-making is a model of assistance for those persons with disabilities who have a range of decisional capacity and could benefit from a supporter that they choose to provide assistance.  This model aims to maximize the person’s potential for autonomy without pursuing guardianship.
 
Examples of possible areas of support include helping the person with acquiring food/clothing and shelter, assisting with decisions related to physical and emotional health, helping with financial affairs, applying for public benefits, seeking and applying for employment, assisting with residential services, helping with school issues, and advocacy.
 
This new mechanism and tool allow for a person with disabilities to maintain control of their decision-making abilities with the help of a designated supporter.  As the enactment date is quickly approaching, our team is preparing the resources and forms necessary for our clients to take advantage of this great opportunity.