Chapter News

Social work students are caught between a federal rule, a court order, and a Department of Education (ED) that has signaled the rules could change again.

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) applauds the federal court decision in National Council of Nonprofits et al. v. McMahon et al., which struck down a Department of Education rule that would have unlawfully restricted access to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.

Successful advocacy is measured by more than the number of bills signed into law. Preventing harmful legislation from advancing, negotiating improvements before passage, and educating lawmakers on the impact of proposed policy are all part of the work. The NASW-Illinois Chapter remained actively engaged on all of those fronts throughout this session.

The NASW-Illinois Chapter joins with 44 other leading human service, advocacy, and legal organizations today to issue the following statement denouncing the June 18 legal opinion issued by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel, which seeks to dismantle one of the nation’s most important civil rights for people with disabilities: the right to receive services in their own homes and communities.

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) has announced its support for a multi-state lawsuit, challenging the U.S. Department of Education's new rule that redefines and restricts federal student loan limits for graduate students.

The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) are working together to ensure students have affordable access to social work education, despite the U.S. Department of Education’s (DOE) recently finalized rule excluding social work from its definition of “professional” degrees.

NASW submitted comments to the Department of Education in response to the Reimagining and Improving Student Education Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. NASW argued that social work should be considered a professional degree for the purposes of student loan limits and that the Tiered Standard repayment plan should be eligible for PSLF.

Thank you to the over 500 social work students and social work professionals who joined us last week at our annual 2026 NASW-Illinois Chapter Advocacy Day on Wednesday, April 15, 2026! This year's brought participants to the Illinois Capitol Building to meet with their direct legislators and advocate for key issues affecting the social work profession this session.

Senators John Barrasso, MD (R-WY) and Christopher Coons (D-DE) and Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01) and Paul Tonko (D-NY-20) have taken steps to increase the Medicare reimbursement rate for clinical social workers (CSWs) for the first time since the 1990s.

Conversion ‘therapy’ is not therapy. It is abuse, and it causes documented psychological damage. No ethical social worker or mental health clinician should be engaging in this practice, full stop, regardless of what any court decides. We stand with the legislators and advocates who have spent more than a decade fighting to protect LGBTQ+ youth in this state, and we will keep fighting alongside them.

So, to the Illinois General Assembly, here's the NASW-Illinois Chapter's humble suggestion—raise their taxes and fund school social workers with the revenue.

NASW submitted comments to the Department of Education in response to the Reimagining and Improving Student Education Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. NASW argued that social work should be considered a professional degree for the purposes of student loan limits and that the Tiered Standard repayment plan should be eligible for PSLF.

House Bill 4826 (HB4826) would strengthen the integrity and quality of continuing education for licensed professionals in Illinois by ensuring that CE credit cannot be awarded for courses that teach practices or actions that are prohibited under Illinois law. This is an important step in protecting both practitioners and the communities we serve while reinforcing clear, ethical, and legally compliant professional standards.

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 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.

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.

The National Association of Social Workers stands today in solidarity with Jews around the world in the global fight against antisemitism.

The National Association of Social Workers stands today in solidarity with Jews around the world in the global fight against antisemitism.

Today marks a historic victory for compassion, dignity, and self-determination in Illinois. The NASW-Illinois Chapter is proud to have supported the Illinois Medical Aid in Dying bill which was signed into law today by Governor J. B. Pritzker and restores choice and autonomy for terminally ill individuals facing unbearable suffering.