Chapter News

The Department of Education is currently accepting comments on the rule change which would remove social work as a professional degree through March 2, 2026. We ask that all social workers submit their comments on this change through the Federal eRulemaking Portal before March 2, 2026. 

January marked the beginning of the 2026 Illinois Spring Legislative Session.

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) is accepting applications for their Human Services Professional Loan Repayment Program through June 30, 2026.

ISAC is currently accepting applications for their School and Municipal Social Work Shortage Loan Repayment Program through June 30, 2026.

The National Association of Social Workers, Illinois Chapter (NASW-IL) announced its endorsed candidates for the March 17, 2026 Illinois Primary Election, highlighting the critical role state leadership will play as social workers and human service systems face growing uncertainty at the federal level.

Together, the organizations representing the Social Work Leadership Roundtable urge the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to include social work in its proposed definition of professional degrees. This reclassification is not a matter of semantics. This decision is far more than a semantic distinction—it carries significant consequences for students, communities, and public systems nationwide.

On October 31, 2025, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) for calendar year (CY) 2026). This rule updates policies and payments for clinical social workers (CSWs) and other Medicare providers. It also affects health coverage for beneficiaries.

The NASW–Illinois Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Access, and Belonging (DEIAB) Committee is launching, "Courageous Care, Collective Power," a campaign rooted in a shared commitment to social justice, dignity, and human rights in a political climate that increasingly threatens them.

Families are changing how they move through the world. People are delaying care, disengaging from systems, or withdrawing entirely out of fear. Immigration enforcement continues to harm communities of color here and beyond our state, including devastating violence tied to racialized targeting in places like Minnesota.

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) has long warned against fear-based policies that rely on force instead of care.Force militarized responses being carried out by ICE result in significant trauma to the communities we serve.