June 2026 – Illinois routinely denies disability benefits – but CCHCC has a high success rate for getting clients approved!

June 16, 2026

One of the greatest hardships that someone can face is a health event that leads to a disabling condition that leads to an inability to work, which, in turn leads to a loss of income. If that disabling condition is long-term, a person should be able to apply for Disability benefits and start receiving monthly income.

But getting approved for Disability benefits in the State of Illinois is notoriously difficult:

High initial denials: Approximately 65-70% of initial applications in Illinois are denied, requiring applicants to go through the lengthy appeals process;
Long wait time: Illinois is facing severe backlogs, with some studies ranking Illinois at the bottom of the 8 states with the worst processing times, sometimes exceeding 200 days for initial decisions;
Long waits for the last level of appeals with an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ): Once a person’s disability application has been denied at the appeals stages, the last appeal is with an ALJ, but people may have to wait for 12-18 months for their ALJ hearing.

These statistics are grim. The people who are waiting for disability benefits – sometimes waiting years for their cases to wind their way through the process – also have no income for their living expenses. Many people end up in dire situations where they are losing their housing, selling off possessions to survive, and becoming homeless. Many of us are only one illness, injury, or accident away from needing disability benefits.

CCHCC is here to help our community members get through the Disability application process as smoothly as possible, and as quickly as possible – and we are good at it! Over the years, we have been able to build a team of Disability Application Specialists who are available to serve anyone in Champaign County. And, as with all of our other services, our Disability Application Services are free!

And, we are very happy to announce that one of our Disability Application Specialists is now an attorney! Babatunde Amao, CCHCC’s Director of Health & Disability Policy, is now a licensed attorney in the State of Illinois. As such, Babatunde is able to represent his disability clients at the ALJ level. In a few short months, Babatunde has already received three approvals from the ALJ level, including one case involving a child!

Now, Babatunde wants to share with you a sequel from a real-life story that CCHCC shared with you last December: When Mr. S was approved for SSI last year, he told his best friend,a man who had also been struggling without income or stability, “They gave me hope again. You’re next.”

He wasn’t just offering comfort. He was making a promise to his best friend. It was a promise I had to fulfill.

A Promise Kept. In May of 2025, Mr. S’s friend walked through our doors. What followed was nearly a year of dedicated, painstaking work—mountains of paperwork, SSA medical appointments scheduled and rescheduled, and more than a few moments where patience was the most important thing I could offer. Through every delay and every setback, I walked alongside him, offering not just expertise, but steady encouragement: hold on, keep going, this is worth it.

And it was. Mr. S’s friend was approved for SSI with a lump-sum back pay award. The relief and gratitude he felt were overwhelming. He wanted to take me out to celebrate, a gesture I had to graciously decline as a matter of professional courtesy. But he was not finished expressing his thanks.

Last week, he came back to our office, this time with his sister by his side. What started as a heartfelt visit to say thank you quickly became something beautifully familiar to anyone who works in this field: an opportunity to help. Within that same visit, I helped his sister set up her SSA online account, one small but meaningful step toward her own future stability. And before he left, he committed to donating to CCHCC. Not because anyone asked. But because he understood, deeply, what this organization had done for him, he wanted to be part of making that possible for someone else.

Perhaps the moment that captures everything most perfectly is this: Mr. S’s friend has told his friends and community members that I am his lawyer, and he says it with pride. He may not know the technical distinction. But in the way that matters most, he is not wrong. I sat with him, understood his circumstances, built his case with care and precision, fought for him through a process designed to be discouraging, and did not stop until he had what he deserved. That is advocacy.

Since his approval, Mr. S’s friend has already referred two more people to our office, both in need of help filing for SSI/SSDI. Two more people who might have given up. Two more people who now have someone in their corner. This is how hope travels. Not in press releases or policy memos, but person to person, in the quiet and powerful act of one human being telling another: “go there, they helped me, you’re next.” I am proud to keep that promise, one client at a time.

CCHCC has grown in our ability and expertise to help community members from diverse backgrounds enroll in a wide variety of health insurance and public programs because we saw the need for these services in our community. CCHCC is the only organization in Champaign County that can help enroll community members in all forms of health insurance – whether that be Medicaid, Marketplace, or Medicare and Medicare-related programs. Beyond health insurance, CCHCC also helps with public benefits such as Medicare Extra Help, Medicare Savings, SNAP, Township General Assistance, LIHEAP, hospital financial assistance, and Disability benefits (SSI and SSDI). And, our services are free!

Please consider making a contribution to help support CCHCC’s ongoing work to enroll as many community members as possible in affordable health insurance and vital public benefits. The work we do can help stabilize community members’ health, and their financial lives.

SUPPORT CCHCC!

Thank you for your support! We appreciate your financial support for our services. Together, we are building a stronger, healthier community – together, we are giving the gift of health and security!

Sincerely,
Claudia Lennhoff
Executive Director
Champaign County Health Care Consumers

Help bring more skilled nursing beds to Champaign County!

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May 28, 2026

Dear friend,

Our friends at Advocates for Aging Care (AAC) in here in Champaign County have done a tremendous amount of work to try to help remedy the situation regarding the lack of skilled nursing beds in Champaign County.

This amazing grassroots organization has announced a new possibility for a senior living community that they hope to bring to Champaign County. And they need our support!

Cottage-style senior living!

The small-home, cottage-style model is inspired by the nationally recognized Green House Cottages approach.

According to our friends at AAC, this innovative project will include 10 cottages, thoughtfully arranged within a neighborhood setting, complete with front yards and back patios. Each cottage will be home to just 12 residents, creating a close-knit environment that feels more personal and truly residential – as opposed to yet another large congregate institution.

This model center on intimate homes with private beds and baths, and shared living spaces including a kitchen. The design foster comfort and familiarity, while supporting meaningful relationships among residents and caregivers.

Advocacy is needed in order to make this new senior living option a reality!

READ ON!

SNAP work requirements, and exemptions, starting May 1, 2026

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April 30, 2026

Our friends and neighbors who depend on SNAP (food stamps) are entering a difficult period starting tomorrow, Friday, May 1, 2026, as a result of new “work requirements” for SNAP benefits.

SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

CCHCC is here to help Champaign County residents to maintain their benefits! Please read below for important information, and see the link to a WCIA TV news story featuring CCHCC’s Chris Garcia discussing exemptions to the SNAP work requirements.

What do SNAP beneficiaries in Illinois need to know?
On July 4, 2024, Trump signed a budget bill that included massive changes to SNAP, and those changes take effect tomorrow, on Friday, May 1, 2026.

The Trump Administration is now imposing “work requirements” for SNAP beneficiaries. At CCHCC, we refer to these as “paperwork requirements” because the reality is that most SNAP beneficiaries who are able to work, are already doing so. It is important to remember that many low-wage jobs or part-time jobs do not pay enough for people to be able to afford nutritious food.

Still, complying with the new documentation requirements can be challenging. CCHCC can help!

Further below, we outline the circumstances under which someone can be exempt from the new requirements.

But first, some facts.
Governor JB Pritzker and IL Department of Human Services recently held a press conference to remind Illinois residents about the new SNAP requirements. Here are some key points from that press conference:

– Due to Trump’s budget bill, around 150,000 Illinoisans are at risk of losing food assistance beginning May 1, 2026.

– Illinoisans on SNAP are encouraged to use the state’s screening tool to check their status: https://aberp.illinois.gov/screener/ABAWD?lang=EN

– The State of Illinois has resources for work and volunteer opportunities through Job Ready IL and Serve IL: https://www.dhs.state.il.us/?item=177800

To learn more, read the full press release: https://gov-pritzker-newsroom.prezly.com/trump…

Who is eligible for a Work Requirements Exemption?
Anyone who can answer YES to ANY of the questions below, and provide proof if asked to do so, is considered “Exempt” from the SNAP Work Requirements:

READ ON!

Getting housed shouldn’t require a miracle! Housing is healthcare!

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March 23, 2026

Getting housed in Champaign County should not require a miracle – especially if someone has income. But increasingly, finding affordable housing – and especially physically accessible housing for people with mobility impairments – sometimes feels like it requires a miracle. Many homeless individuals in our community have income, but still cannot afford housing. This situation contributes to the growing crisis of homelessness. It shouldn’t be this way.

A client story – the search for affordable housing: Our clients, an elderly disabled couple whom we will refer to as the Smiths (not their real name), contacted us late last year with a desperate plea for help. The apartment where they had lived for many years was not renewing their lease (for no fault of theirs), and they had nowhere to go despite searching for a new, wheelchair accessible apartment. Despite their best efforts, they were on the brink of homelessness.

At the time, CCHCC had a small grant to help pay for hotel rooms for individuals experiencing homelessness who are also medically fragile. So the Smiths put their household belongings in storage, and CCHCC put the Smiths up at a hotel for what was supposed to be a two-week stay. CCHCC paid for their hotel room so that they could save enough of their own funds to pay application fees, deposit, and first month’s rent at a new apartment. Two weeks turned into two and a half months. The challenges the Smiths were facing were two-fold: a) finding an apartment they could afford; and b) finding an apartment that was accessible for someone using a wheelchair. CCHCC worked with the Smiths for two and a half months, paying for their hotel room, and helping find leads for apartments. Subsidized senior housing was not an option for the Smiths because of the long waitlists. Finally, at long last, the Smiths were able to move into an affordable and accessible apartment!

Housing is healthcare. Safe, affordable housing is a cornerstone of a thriving and healthy community, and it is a key factor in each person’s health and well-being. For people experiencing homelessness, housing is healthcare. Housing is the foundation from which we build our lives. We spend most of our lives in our homes. The affordability, quality, and stability of our homes is directly linked to our health and well-being. People who experience homelessness have a harder time managing their health – it is harder to keep up with doctors’ appointments, maintain medications, and get preventive and primary care. People experiencing homelessness are more likely to seek care through hospital Emergency Departments, which is the least efficient and most expensive way to manage chronic health conditions. And of course, being homeless is detrimental to one’s health, even if it is for brief periods of time. Studies tell us that individuals experiencing chronic homelessness have lifespans that are 20-30 years shorter than people who are consistently housed.

How much should hosing cost you? Experts say that housing costs – rent or mortgage, plus utilities – should not cost you more than 30% of your monthly income. At the very most, it should not cost you more than 50% of your monthly income. But 50% is a huge proportion that limits a person or household’s ability to deal with unexpected expenses such as car repairs, etc.

Too many homeless people in our community have incomes, but cannot afford housing. CCHCC has had great success in helping people apply for disability benefits, including individuals experiencing homelessness. Disability benefits provide monthly incomes. One disability benefit program is the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. SSI provides monthly payments to people with disabilities and older adults who have little or no income or resources. But in 2026, SSI provides a maximum monthly federal payment of $994 per month for an individual, and $1,491 for a couple.

READ ON!

SUPPORT CCHCC!

My father – a daughter’s tribute

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March 11, 2026

My kind, gentle, and brilliant father, Dr. Miguel Lennhoff, died two years ago on this date. This tribute is long overdue, but my broken heart has only now allowed me to put these words together.

In these most difficult and precarious times, I wish those in leadership positions could be more like my father, who was a deeply caring and gentle person who sought healing, not destruction and devastation.

My father was a physician – in the tradition of the practitioner-researcher model (often known as the physician-scientist). He was always growing and learning, always fascinated by science and nature, and the human condition.

My father always taught us that, above all else, “your health is your wealth.”

My father, Dr. Miguel Lennhoff, believed this so completely, and practiced this belief through his work as a physician – he worked as a nephrologist (kidney specialist) in Mexico, and then a psychiatrist here in the U.S. once we immigrated from Mexico. He reminded me and my brothers (and our friends) that our real wealth in this life was not money and possessions, but our health.

Both of my parents abhorred injustice in all of its forms, and ardently believed in and supported human rights, and economic and environmental justice. These values were very clearly expressed in our family home.

My parents also supported immigrants, and understood the need and desire of immigrants to leave their countries of origin in the search for safety, security, and a better life for their families. They were immigrants themselves, and my brothers and I immigrated with our parents to the U.S. from Mexico in the 1970s.

Our beloved mother, Marja-Liisa Lennhoff Eskelinen, died on July 4, 2020. My father’s heartbreak and sorrow were profound, and his health began to decline. I am so incredibly fortunate to be able to work for this wonderful organization, which allowed me to travel frequently to Texas to help care for my father and work remotely. Both of my brothers and I pulled together to care for our father in his home. I am the only one of us three who could work remotely, so I often provided the in-home 24/7 care that was increasingly needed in the last few months, weeks, and days of my father’s life.

As many of you have experienced, being a caregiver for an elderly parent can be the most intense and exhausting thing that we are ever called on to do. I would, of course, do it all over again in a heartbeat. It was the honor of my life to be able to care for my father. Toward the end, I slept on a cot in my father’s room, and my father would wake up at random times at night and we would sit and talk. He would gently tell me to go back to sleep, but I didn’t want to miss out on a moment with him while he was alert. Every moment was a gift to me and I cherish the time that we got to spend together.

In case you care to read it, below is an excerpt from my father’s obituary. It is lengthy, but my father had an interesting and beautiful life, and I want to share this with CCHCC’s supporters because I believe that we share many of the same values that guided my father’s life, both personally and professionally.

I thank you for your support of our organization and the work that we do. My father was proud of me and the work we do at CCHCC. He thought every community around the country should have an organization like CCHCC. However, CCHCC is truly unique, and there is no other organization like ours in the country. Thank you for your support!