Medicaid Recovery

Medicaid is a State and Federally funded program that offers healthcare access for nearly one out of every four Illinoisans. Some of these services are provided to people as they grow older. Medicaid pays for services that help people stay in their own homes. It also pays for people to live in long-term care facilities when these are appropriate for their care.

To help pay for these long-term services, every state must have a Medicaid Estate Recovery Program. For those who received assistance through the Aid to the Aged, Blind or Disabled (AABD) program, the state of Illinois has the obligation to ask for money back from their estate after they pass away. In some cases, the state may not ask for anything back, and the state will never ask for more money than it paid for services.

Similarly, if you are injured in an accident at work or due to another person's negligence and Medicaid paid for your medical treatment, the state is required by law to seek repayment from the other party's medical or Workers' Compensation insurance carrier. These recoveries along with the Estate Recovery Program help to ensure funds are available to pay for the care and treatment of other Medicaid customers now and in the future.

This program is administered by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services Bureau of Collections in cooperation with the Illinois Department of Human Services. The information contained on these pages is intended to help answer your questions and provide direction for requesting additional information and assistance. Please note that any differences between actual statutes and the information contained on this site are unintentional; statute language is the definitive source.

More information is available from caseworkers at your local Department of Human Services office. For information call: 1-800-843-6154 Monday through Friday (except state holidays) from 7:30 am – 7:00 pm. Persons using a teletypewriter (TTY) can call toll-free at 1-800-447-6404.