Clients in East St. Louis echo this complaint. Recipients in East St. Louis complain about having to wait hours for appointments. One woman reports that, although she sends in her paycheck stubs every month, she loses her benefits because the stubs never make their way to her caseworker. The advent of the new KidCare program has dramatically increased the work load, further exacerbating the staffing situation. Providers in several places, including Vermilion and Sangamon counties, complain that IDHS workers are not trained to recognize barriers to employment such as substance abuse and domestic violence.
Different clients have identical RASPs even though their life circumstances are very different.
A client in Whiteside County who was called in to cooperate with child support enforcement requirements reports the following episode. The adjudication occurred in another county, and the child support enforcement division had been unable to get the court papers. The Whiteside County woman also told the child support worker that the father of her other child had been abusive and that she was afraid to pursue child support due to his violence and threats. The child support specialist did not tell the client that such domestic violence is good cause for not cooperating with child support enforcement. Wrongful terminations Two recipients from Chicago's Englewood office report that IDHS terminated their assistance for missing meetings for which they never received a notice.