Illinois Early Intervention Provider/Therapist Needs Survey

Created by the IL EI Grassroots Alliance, a small group of experienced EI therapists who believe that providers should have a louder voice in the IL EI system. After receiving almost 3000 supporters to our petition on Change.org, we met with representatives from DHS, legislators offices and other advocacy groups. They are aware of the large numbers of providers leaving EI at this time and have asked for more information about WHY this is happening. This survey is intended to collect data about EI Providers, their current experiences in the system and what would improve working conditions. Results of this survey will be compiled and shared as we advocate for improvements. This survey is completely anonymous. There are a few areas where you can share your contact information if you choose to do so.

Question Title

* 1. How many clients (families) per week do you currently serve in Illinois Early Intervention system (IL EI)][?

0-5

6-10

11-15

16-20

21-25

26-30

31-35

36-40

I have an active credential but am not currently working in IL EI

Question Title

* 2. How long have you worked in IL Early Intervention?

Less than 2 years

2-4 years

5-8 years

8-10 years

More than 10 years

Question Title

* 3. Do you work in other settings in addition to IL EI?

Yes

Question Title

* 4. If you work in an additional setting, please explain the reason why:

Question Title

* 5. If you work in settings other than EI, what percentage of your caseload consists of IL Early Intervention clients?

Question Title

* 6. What is your discipline?

Nutrition

DT-H

DT-V

Interpreter

Psych/social work

ABA

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 7. How are you employed in the EI System?

I work for a business (such as a private practice, non for profit, hospital, etc)

I contract directly with the State of IL. I am an independent contractor with no employees

I contract directly with the State of IL and run a business that employs other therapists in EI

Question Title

* 8. If you have picked up any new families for ongoing therapy in September, October or November 2022, what is the average length of time that families were waiting for therapy to begin?

Several weeks

1-2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6+ months

Question Title

* 9. If you carry your own individual health insurance policy, approximately how much per month do you pay for the monthly premium?

Less than $100 per month

$100-200 per month

$200-300 per month

$300-400 per month

$400-500 per month

$500-600 per month

$600-700 per month

more than $700/month

Not Applicable

I use Medicaid as my health insurance for discounted rates

I don't have health insurance

I am covered under my spouse's health insurance

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 10. We want DHS/EI Bureau to know what changes are needed by IL EI Providers. How important are the following improvements to the Early Intervention System to you as a provider? Please rate the following in importance:

	Unimportant	Helpful, but not critical	Important	Very Important	Extremely Important (Necessary for EI to continue)
Increased wages with consistent increases (e.g. yearly)	Increased wages with consistent increases (e.g. yearly) Unimportant	Increased wages with consistent increases (e.g. yearly) Helpful, but not critical	Increased wages with consistent increases (e.g. yearly) Important	Increased wages with consistent increases (e.g. yearly) Very Important	Increased wages with consistent increases (e.g. yearly) Extremely Important (Necessary for EI to continue)
State providing a health insurance plan for providers to opt into	State providing a health insurance plan for providers to opt into Unimportant	State providing a health insurance plan for providers to opt into Helpful, but not critical	State providing a health insurance plan for providers to opt into Important	State providing a health insurance plan for providers to opt into Very Important	State providing a health insurance plan for providers to opt into Extremely Important (Necessary for EI to continue)
Payment for cancellations/no shows	Payment for cancellations/no shows Unimportant	Payment for cancellations/no shows Helpful, but not critical	Payment for cancellations/no shows Important	Payment for cancellations/no shows Very Important	Payment for cancellations/no shows Extremely Important (Necessary for EI to continue)
Mileage Reimbursement	Mileage Reimbursement Unimportant	Mileage Reimbursement Helpful, but not critical	Mileage Reimbursement Important	Mileage Reimbursement Very Important	Mileage Reimbursement Extremely Important (Necessary for EI to continue)
Payments of vouchers/EOBs from the State of IL within 2-3 weeks of submission	Payments of vouchers/EOBs from the State of IL within 2-3 weeks of submission Unimportant	Payments of vouchers/EOBs from the State of IL within 2-3 weeks of submission Helpful, but not critical	Payments of vouchers/EOBs from the State of IL within 2-3 weeks of submission Important	Payments of vouchers/EOBs from the State of IL within 2-3 weeks of submission Very Important	Payments of vouchers/EOBs from the State of IL within 2-3 weeks of submission Extremely Important (Necessary for EI to continue)

Other (please share)

Question Title

* 11. Now rate the above choices in order of importance to you from 1 (MOST important) - 5 (LEAST important).

1= your highest priority
5= your least priority

Increased wages

State providing health insurance plan

Payment for cancellations/no shows

Mileage Reimbursement

Timely payments of vouchers/EOBs

Question Title

* 12. If all other factors remained the same, what percentage wage increase would be significant enough that you would be able to remain an EI provider?

1-3%

4-5%

6-8%

9-12%

13-15%

16-20%

21-25%

more than 25%

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 13. If no changes are implemented in Illinois early intervention within the next year, which of the following options are you considering? (Mark all that apply)

Reducing EI caseload

Reducing service area to decrease travel expenses

Leaving Illinois EI for another career opportunity

Offering LVV services only

None, I will continue in the same capacity

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 14. If some of the above changes (increased wages, mileage reimbursement, payment for cancellation/no show etc) were implemented within the next year, which of the following options would you consider? (Mark all that apply)

Increasing my EI caseload

Increasing service area

Hiring more EI providers to work under your business

Offering LVV services only

None, I would continue in the same capacity

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 15. Would you be willing to add LVV clients to your caseload at this time, if EI was pushing this service delivery model to families currently on waitlists for face to face in person services? If yes, please indicate approximately how many families you could serve weekly through LVV:

No, I would not add LVV clients at this time

Yes- 1-3 more families weekly

Yes 4-5 more families weekly

Yes 6-8 more families weekly

Yes 8-10 or more families weekly

Question Title

* 16. The following are procedural changes that, if implemented, could improve providers current working conditions. DHS has shown interest in discussing a few of these changes & wants feedback on which would most impact provider satisfaction. Please rate each change in terms of its value to you as an EI provider.

	Not Helpful	Minimally Helpful	Helpful	Very Helpful	Extremely Helpful/Necessary
Create an anonymous system to report concerns related to CFCs	Create an anonymous system to report concerns related to CFCs Not Helpful	Create an anonymous system to report concerns related to CFCs Minimally Helpful	Create an anonymous system to report concerns related to CFCs Helpful	Create an anonymous system to report concerns related to CFCs Very Helpful	Create an anonymous system to report concerns related to CFCs Extremely Helpful/Necessary
Create an independent source for providers to request to fix authorization errors without involving CFCs/SCs	Create an independent source for providers to request to fix authorization errors without involving CFCs/SCs Not Helpful	Create an independent source for providers to request to fix authorization errors without involving CFCs/SCs Minimally Helpful	Create an independent source for providers to request to fix authorization errors without involving CFCs/SCs Helpful	Create an independent source for providers to request to fix authorization errors without involving CFCs/SCs Very Helpful	Create an independent source for providers to request to fix authorization errors without involving CFCs/SCs Extremely Helpful/Necessary
Have every IFSP meeting authorized as a standard minimum 60 minutes regardless of actual time utilized	Have every IFSP meeting authorized as a standard minimum 60 minutes regardless of actual time utilized Not Helpful	Have every IFSP meeting authorized as a standard minimum 60 minutes regardless of actual time utilized Minimally Helpful	Have every IFSP meeting authorized as a standard minimum 60 minutes regardless of actual time utilized Helpful	Have every IFSP meeting authorized as a standard minimum 60 minutes regardless of actual time utilized Very Helpful	Have every IFSP meeting authorized as a standard minimum 60 minutes regardless of actual time utilized Extremely Helpful/Necessary
Require all CFCs to house waitlists for all services to decrease burden on providers	Require all CFCs to house waitlists for all services to decrease burden on providers Not Helpful	Require all CFCs to house waitlists for all services to decrease burden on providers Minimally Helpful	Require all CFCs to house waitlists for all services to decrease burden on providers Helpful	Require all CFCs to house waitlists for all services to decrease burden on providers Very Helpful	Require all CFCs to house waitlists for all services to decrease burden on providers Extremely Helpful/Necessary
Require EI families to agree to a hybrid system of service delivery at intake (combination of in person and LVV services)	Require EI families to agree to a hybrid system of service delivery at intake (combination of in person and LVV services) Not Helpful	Require EI families to agree to a hybrid system of service delivery at intake (combination of in person and LVV services) Minimally Helpful	Require EI families to agree to a hybrid system of service delivery at intake (combination of in person and LVV services) Helpful	Require EI families to agree to a hybrid system of service delivery at intake (combination of in person and LVV services) Very Helpful	Require EI families to agree to a hybrid system of service delivery at intake (combination of in person and LVV services) Extremely Helpful/Necessary
Waive requirement for Developmental Therapists to complete 120 cont ed hours before they can practice as DTs in EI	Waive requirement for Developmental Therapists to complete 120 cont ed hours before they can practice as DTs in EI Not Helpful	Waive requirement for Developmental Therapists to complete 120 cont ed hours before they can practice as DTs in EI Minimally Helpful	Waive requirement for Developmental Therapists to complete 120 cont ed hours before they can practice as DTs in EI Helpful	Waive requirement for Developmental Therapists to complete 120 cont ed hours before they can practice as DTs in EI Very Helpful	Waive requirement for Developmental Therapists to complete 120 cont ed hours before they can practice as DTs in EI Extremely Helpful/Necessary
Waive 1 year of the continuing education requirement for provider renewals	Waive 1 year of the continuing education requirement for provider renewals Not Helpful	Waive 1 year of the continuing education requirement for provider renewals Minimally Helpful	Waive 1 year of the continuing education requirement for provider renewals Helpful	Waive 1 year of the continuing education requirement for provider renewals Very Helpful	Waive 1 year of the continuing education requirement for provider renewals Extremely Helpful/Necessary

Other Improvement Ideas? (please specify)

Question Title

* 17. How would some of the above changes affect your experience as a provider in EI? We will collect these comments to present to DHS. Here’s your opportunity to be heard!

Question Title

* 18. Which of the below actions would you be willing to do to achieve these improvements for providers working in IL EI? (Mark all that apply)

Inform the families you work with about the crisis in EI & encourage them to advocate by calling/emailing

Ask a family on your caseload to speak at an event supporting increased funding to EI

Ask families on your caseload to complete an activity such as a coloring page, collect them from your families and mail them to the Governor’s office

Attend a march/rally in Springfield during the workweek

Participate in a strike day

Call the governors office & offices of your local state representatives

Email the governors office and offices of your local state representatives

Attend an online Town Hall to discuss provider issues in EI

Other (please specify)

None of the above

Question Title

* 19. Would you be interested in being part of an IL EI Providers Union (could provide access to affordable healthcare, regular raises, negotiate on our behalf, etc)?

Yes

Question Title

* 20. Would you be interested in joining the efforts of the IL EI Grassroots Alliance (the provider group who created this survey as part of their work for improved working conditions for EI Providers). We are a small group of experienced IL EI providers who see the need for Providers to have a larger voice in the EI system.

YES, I am interested in possibly joining the IL EI Grassroots Alliance.
Possibilities for participation include: joining a Slack (app on smartphone) channel for communication, completing surveys, participating in discussions in order to give feedback to EI, representing your CFC as a contact person for providers

No, I am not interested

This survey is anonymous so if you do not provide your email address we will not be able to contact you. If you indicated interest in joining the IL EI Grassroots Alliance, please enter your name, phone number for texting & email address here:

Question Title

* 21. If you are a provider who has left early intervention in the past year, DHS is specifically interested in hearing from you. Please share your name, phone number &/or email address here if we can reach out to you for input:

Question Title

* 22. PLEASE SHARE YOUR STORIES: What is the most difficult part of being an EI provider right now? What do you want DHS/EI Bureau to know about how EI is functioning? What impacts have you seen to the EI system in 2022? Your personal stories are powerful drivers of change!

Illinois Early Intervention Provider/Therapist Needs Survey

Question Title

* 1. How many clients (families) per week do you currently serve in Illinois Early Intervention system (IL EI)][?

Question Title

* 2. How long have you worked in IL Early Intervention?

Question Title

* 3. Do you work in other settings in addition to IL EI?

Question Title

* 4. If you work in an additional setting, please explain the reason why:

Question Title

* 5. If you work in settings other than EI, what percentage of your caseload consists of IL Early Intervention clients?

Question Title

* 6. What is your discipline?

Question Title

* 7. How are you employed in the EI System?

Question Title

* 8. If you have picked up any new families for ongoing therapy in September, October or November 2022, what is the average length of time that families were waiting for therapy to begin?

Question Title

* 9. If you carry your own individual health insurance policy, approximately how much per month do you pay for the monthly premium?

Question Title

* 10. We want DHS/EI Bureau to know what changes are needed by IL EI Providers. How important are the following improvements to the Early Intervention System to you as a provider? Please rate the following in importance:

Question Title

* 11. Now rate the above choices in order of importance to you from 1 (MOST important) - 5 (LEAST important).1= your highest priority 5= your least priority

Question Title

* 12. If all other factors remained the same, what percentage wage increase would be significant enough that you would be able to remain an EI provider?

Question Title

* 13. If no changes are implemented in Illinois early intervention within the next year, which of the following options are you considering? (Mark all that apply)

Question Title

* 14. If some of the above changes (increased wages, mileage reimbursement, payment for cancellation/no show etc) were implemented within the next year, which of the following options would you consider? (Mark all that apply)

Question Title

* 15. Would you be willing to add LVV clients to your caseload at this time, if EI was pushing this service delivery model to families currently on waitlists for face to face in person services? If yes, please indicate approximately how many families you could serve weekly through LVV:

Question Title

Question Title

* 17. How would some of the above changes affect your experience as a provider in EI? We will collect these comments to present to DHS. Here’s your opportunity to be heard!

Question Title

* 18. Which of the below actions would you be willing to do to achieve these improvements for providers working in IL EI? (Mark all that apply)

Question Title

* 19. Would you be interested in being part of an IL EI Providers Union (could provide access to affordable healthcare, regular raises, negotiate on our behalf, etc)?

Question Title

Question Title

* 21. If you are a provider who has left early intervention in the past year, DHS is specifically interested in hearing from you. Please share your name, phone number &/or email address here if we can reach out to you for input:

Question Title

* 22. PLEASE SHARE YOUR STORIES: What is the most difficult part of being an EI provider right now? What do you want DHS/EI Bureau to know about how EI is functioning? What impacts have you seen to the EI system in 2022? Your personal stories are powerful drivers of change!

* 11. Now rate the above choices in order of importance to you from 1 (MOST important) - 5 (LEAST important).

1= your highest priority
5= your least priority