Illinois Navigator Grant Program Plan Year 2026

Illinois Navigator Grant Program Plan Year 2026 is sponsored by Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) and Get Covered Illinois (GCI). This grant program supports a robust, statewide Illinois Navigator program to assist eligible Illinois residents, especially those with low literacy, limited English proficiency, low-income, people with disabilities, and those at risk of homelessness, in enrolling in health cove…

Euna Grants - Department of Healthcare and Family Services - Illinois Navigator Grant Program Plan Year 2026 Illinois Navigator Grant Program Plan Year 2026 Illinois Navigator Grant Program Illinois Navigator Grant Program Plan Year 2026 For Plan Year 2026 the Illinois Navigator Grant opportunity is only available to the five grantees that were awarded the Plan Year 2025 Illinois Navigator Grant.

The Merit Based Review has been completed. The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) and Get Covered Illinois (GCI) are jointly posting this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Illinois Navigator Grant Program Plan Year 2026.

The purpose of this NOFO is to provide grant funding to support a robust, statewide Illinois Navigator program as Illinois completes its transition to a State Based Health Insurance Marketplace this year. States running their own State Based Marketplace are responsible for performing all marketplace functions for the individual market.

Consumers in these states apply for and enroll in coverage through marketplace websites established and maintained by the state. This funding opportunity targets organizations seeking to assist eligible Illinois residents in enrolling in health coverage options and affordability programs made available through Get Covered Illinois, the state’s official Health Insurance Marketplace.

Grant proposals that identify and serve populations currently without health insurance and are expected to benefit from the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) provision of financial assistance for the purchase of Qualified Health Plans (QHPs) on Get Covered Illinois and the Illinois Medicaid program will be favored by HFS and GCI.

The State is particularly focused on serving individuals who would have difficulty enrolling in coverage without the help of an Illinois Navigator, including (but not limited to) individuals with low literacy, limited English proficiency, low-income individuals, people with disabilities, people who are or at risk of experiencing homelessness and other hard-to-reach populations.

Eligible Illinois residents will be able to enroll in or make changes to their current Marketplace health coverage through Get Covered Illinois throughout the Open Enrollment period (and through any potential extensions). Enrollment must occur during this period unless an individual experiences a loss of other health coverage or another qualifying life event which triggers a special enrollment period (SEP).

Enrollment will occur 24 hours a day, 7 days a week during the entire open enrollment period. Medicaid eligible individuals will be able to enroll in coverage at any time throughout the year.

Through this NOFO, the State is seeking to award funding to eligible organizations to perform the following duties prior to, during, and after the Open Enrollment period: • Maintain expertise in eligibility, enrollment, and program requirements through the Get Covered Illinois Learning Management System (LMS) Get Insured technical training, and other Navigator-specific professional development trainings.

• Provide information and services in a fair, accurate, ethical, and impartial manner, which includes providing information that assists consumers with submitting the eligibility application; clarifying distinctions among health coverage options, including QHPs; and helping consumers make informed decisions during the health coverage selection process. Facilitate selection of a QHP or, when appropriate, a public insurance plan.

• Provide referrals to the Illinois Department of Insurance, or any other appropriate State agency, for any enrollee with a grievance, complaint, or question regarding their health plan, coverage, or a determination under such plan or coverage.

• Provide information in a manner that is culturally and linguistically appropriate to the needs of the population being served by Get Covered Illinois at no cost to those individuals, including individuals with limited English proficiency, and ensure accessibility and usability of Illinois Navigator tools and functions for individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act; and • Maintain a physical presence in the Marketplace service area, so that face-to-face assistance can be provided to applicants and enrollees.

Healthcare and Family Services The period of performance of this grant is expected to begin September 1, 2025, and end August 31, 2026. The grant period may be renewed at the end of the term with a letter of intent by the grantee to continue under the program, based on an evaluation by Get Covered Illinois and the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services.

Renewals will also depend on the availability of funding and grantee performance the previous grant year. Notices of non-compliance regarding grant deliverables will be taken into consideration. Grantee organizations may begin to utilize funding for non-enrollment activities (i.e., hiring new staff, training, conducting outreach events) immediately upon receiving an award.

However, no employee of an organization may conduct enrollment activities with grant funding prior to completing all required training and receiving certification from Get Covered Illinois. All awardees must perform required activities throughout the grant cycle.

This will include public education and outreach prior to Open Enrollment and education and enrollment throughout the Open Enrollment period (and through any potential extensions). Due to the condensed Open Enrollment period, grantee organizations and Illinois Navigators will be required to limit the period of office closure, not to exceed four consecutive days throughout the Open Enrollment period (and through any potential extensions).

Any absence or closure beyond four days must be reported to and approved by Get Covered Illinois. Additionally, awardees will be required to perform post-enrollment assistance activities, Medicaid enrollments, outreach, and SEP enrollments throughout the entirety of the grant period.

Sample Estimated Timeline of Plan Year 2026 Grant Activities Grantee organization completes Memorandums of Understating with sub-granted partners while continuing outreach activities through the Plan Year 2025 SEP period. * August - September 2025 * Grantee organization works with Get Covered Illinois team to implement strategic outreach plan. Attend onboarding webinars.

Sign grant agreements; grant funds available beginning September 1. * September - October 2025 * Grantee organization completes training through the Get Covered Illinois LMS training system while continuing to conduct pre-enrollment outreach, tracking, educational activities, and Medicaid enrollments.

* Starting November 2025 * Grantee organization conducts open enrollment activities to facilitate enrollment in Plan year 2026 Marketplace health coverage and Medicaid. * January 2026 - August 2026 * Grantee organization provides post-enrollment education and support, facilitates enrollment for individuals eligible for Medicaid and individual/family QHP SEPs.

Funding Opportunity Number Agency Opportunity Number Assistance Listings Number https://il. amplifund. com/Public/Opportunities/Details/f682bdc6-60b8-42b2-a5ab-737372bb598e Funding Source Description Cost Sharing or Matching: There is no cost sharing or matching for this program.

Funding for the 2026 Illinois Navigator Grant Program will be determined by service area, the number of Illinois Navigators proposed and the associated costs, as outlined in Appendix I. Applicants are required to submit information for each service area in which they would like to perform activities under the Illinois Navigator program.

Applicants may apply as a single organization or as a partnership of organizations; each organization in the partnership may operate in one or more counties. Applicants applying as a partnership of organizations must designate a Lead Grantee. Funding and reimbursements will be paid by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) through the Lead Grantee.

Lead Grantees will be responsible for remitting payment to all partnership organizations and that the proposed service area is covered as outlined in the original application. • Total amount of funding to be awarded: $7,000,000 • Anticipated number of state awards: 3-5 • Amount of individual awards: (can be range) $300,000 - $5.

5 M • Anticipated start date: September 1, 2025 • Periods of performance for new state awards: September 2025 through August 2026 Grant funding is intended to support the provision of in-person and virtual/remote application assistance to Illinois consumers eligible for enrollment into QHPs, premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions, and/or Medicaid.

Grant funding will also be used to provide outreach and education to eligible populations, and provide post-enrollment support to individuals served by the grantee organization.

Examples of eligible expenses include, but are not limited to • hiring new staff to perform grant activities, • paying current staff for performing grant activities, • expenses associated with travel to and from locations at which grant activities are performed, • production of materials to promote awareness of the specific organization’s services as an Illinois Navigator entity (example: event flyers).

Educational and marketing materials describing features of the Illinois Marketplace, eligibility requirements, enrollment processes, common features of health insurance products, and other materials not specific to promoting awareness of individual Illinois Navigator entities will be produced by the State. Applicants should therefore not apply for funding for the production of such materials.

The grant funds may not be used: • For institutional, organizational, or community-based overhead costs not directly related to grant objectives, indirect costs, or levies. • To cover the costs to provide direct health care services to individuals. • To match any Federal funds.

• To provide services, equipment, or support that are the legal responsibility of another party under Federal or State law (such as vocational rehabilitation or education services) or under any civil rights laws. Such legal responsibilities include, but are not limited to, modifications of a workplace or other reasonable accommodations that are a specific obligation of the employer or other party.

• To supplant existing State, local, or private funding of infrastructure or services such as staff salaries, etc. • To cover any pre-award costs. • To assist consumers residing in a State other than Illinois.

Grantees may provide these consumers with basic information about Health Insurance Marketplaces, but should refer them to other state Navigators, the Get Covered Illinois Call Center, and other resources within the State where the consumer resides for more in-depth assistance.

• For any activity designed to influence the enactment of legislation, appropriations, regulation, administrative action, or Executive order proposed or pending before the Congress or any state government, state legislature or local legislature or legislative body. Grant recipients may lobby at their own expense if they can segregate federal funds from other financial resources used for that purpose.

• To cover the cost of food or beverage See Funding Source Description Expected Number of Awards In-Kind Match Requirement Other Funding Requirement Submission Timeline Additional Information Application Opens: April 1, 2025, 8:00 a. m. (CST) Application Deadline: May 5th, 2025, 5:00 p.

m. (CST) Application deadline is the date and time by which HFS must receive the application in the AmpliFund System. Late applications will not be reviewed or considered.

HFS will determine if an application has been submitted by the application deadline by using the AmpliFund system generated documentation of receipt date and time. Acceptable form of application submission includes the following: Electronically through the AmpliFund System at https://il. amplifund.

com/Public/Opportunities/Details/f682bdc6-60b8-42b2-a5ab-737372bb598e AmpliFund records the date and time of each submission, along with the submitting applicant and the title of the grant proposal.

Allow Multiple Applications Application Review Start Date / Pre-Qualification Deadline Other Submission Requirements Application and Submission Information: Agencies forming a partnership will designate a Lead Grantee that will submit the grant application and coordinate Illinois Navigator operations in each county (or counties) listed as the service area and on behalf of the partnership.

No single organization may be included as a Lead Grantee or partner on more than one application. The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, the Illinois Department of Insurance, and the Get Covered Illinois team will work directly with the Lead Grantee and each partnership agency to fulfill the objectives of the program.

For agencies applying as a partnership, the Lead Grantee will serve in a management role and be responsible for distributing grant funds to each fellow partnership agency. Ways to request an application package: All application materials are provided in this NOFO and the AmpliFund opportunity.

Content and Form of Application Submission: Affordable Care Act (ACA) Illinois Navigator Grant Program Application Instructions and content are listed at https://il. amplifund. com/Public/Opportunities/Details/51b0e47e-dd8b-4b43-aeae-aa869dc6d3c4 and this NOFO.

Registration Requirements: Each applicant (unless the applicant is an individual or Federal or State awarding agency that is exempt from those requirements under 2 CFR § 25. 110(b) or (c), or has an exception approved by the Federal or State awarding agency under 2 CFR § 25. 110(d))v is required to: • Be registered in SAM (System for Award Management) before submitting its application, with a UEI (Unique Entity ID) assigned.

To establish a SAM registration, go to www. SAM. gov. • Continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal, Federal pass-through or State award or an application or plan under consideration by a Federal or State awarding agency.

The State awarding agency may not make an award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable SAM requirements. If an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time the awarding agency is ready to make an award, the awarding agency may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive an award and use that determination as a basis for making an award to another applicant.

Question Submission Information Question Submission Open Date Question Submission Close Date Question Submission Email Address Question Submission Additional Information Questions regarding any item listed in this NOFO may be submitted via this link: https://officeofmedicaidinnovation. jotform. com/has776/illinois-navigator-grant The deadline for submitted questions is 5:00 p.

m. (CST) on April 12, 2025.

Technical Assistance Session Technical Assistance Session Small Businesses, Others, Government Organizations, Education Organizations, Public Housing Organizations, Nonprofit Organizations, For-Profit Organizations Applicant Eligibility Information Beneficiary Eligibility Information Credentials Documentation Eligibility Information Additional Eligibility Information Applicant Eligibility: Legally recognized organizational entities based within Illinois (including local chapters of national organizations).

The minimum eligibility requirements for entities responding to this NOFO are consistent with the final regulations issued by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services on March 27, 2012, April 3, 2013, and May 16, 2024 (45 CFR 155. 210 and 45 CFR 155. 215).

An entity may not apply for a grant until the entity has registered and pre-qualified through the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) Grantee Portal.

Beneficiary Eligibility: Individuals who would have difficulty enrolling in coverage without the help of an Illinois Navigator, including (but not limited to) individuals with low literacy, limited English proficiency, low-income individuals, people with disabilities and other hard-to-reach populations.

Credentials Documentation: N/A An entity may not apply for a grant until the entity has registered and pre-qualified through the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) Grantee Portal, www. grants. illinois.

gov/portal. Registration and pre-qualification are required During pre-qualification, verifications are performed including a check of federal SAM. gov Exclusion List and status on the Illinois Stop Payment List.

The Grantee Portal alerts the entity of “qualified” status or informs how to remediate a negative verification (e.g., missing UEI- Unique Entity Identifier assigned in sam. gov, not in good standing with the Secretary of State). Inclusion on the SAM.

gov Exclusion List cannot be remediated. HFS will only accept letters of intent through an application in Amplifund from current Navigator grantees who are legally recognized organizational entities; applications from individual persons will not be considered. Only organizations based within Illinois (including local chapters of national organizations) are eligible for these funds.

The minimum eligibility requirements for entities responding to this NOFO are consistent with the final regulations issued by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services on March 27, 2012, April 3, 2013, and May 16, 2024 (45 CFR 155. 210 and 45 CFR 155. 215).

Pursuant to these regulations and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), organizations eligible to apply for funding include the following: • Community and consumer-focused nonprofit groups. • Trade, industry, and professional associations. • Commercial fishing industry organizations, ranching and farming organizations.

• Resource partners of the Small Business Administration. • Other public or private entities that meet the requirements of this section. • Other entities may include but are not limited to Indian tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian organizations, and State or local human service agencies and other government entities, including local Public Health Departments.

To receive a grant, an applicant must: • Be capable of carrying out duties described in Section F (“Program Requirements”). • Demonstrate to Get Covered Illinois that the entity has existing relationships, or could readily establish relationships, with Illinois consumers (including uninsured and underinsured consumers) likely to be eligible for enrollment in a QHP or Medicaid – with a plan to target those eligible for QHPs.

• Meet the certification standards prescribed within this application. • Agree to use and actively maintain (see section V) consumer scheduling and find help tools. • Provide a complete employee roster by September 30th of each plan year and update within 10 days, if changes are made.

• Not have a conflict of interest during the term as grantee defined in the section below; and • Comply with the privacy and security standards adopted by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), IDOI, GCI, and HFS, including those found in 45CFR 155. 260 (see Appendix II for a web link to this regulation).

Organizations receiving consideration from health insurance issuers for reasons other than enrollment in insurance products (e.g., reimbursement for the provision of medical services, or grant funding for educational activities related to community health) are ineligible to apply for this grant. To receive a grant or participate in the grant program, an applicant or grantee may not: • Be a health insurance or stop-loss insurance issuer.

• Be a subsidiary of a health insurance or stop-loss insurance issuer.

• Be an association that includes members of, or lobbies on behalf of, the insurance industry; or, • Receive any consideration directly or indirectly from any health insurance or stop-loss insurance issuer in connection with the enrollment of any individuals or employees in a QHP or a non-QHP, though no health care provider shall be ineligible for participation in this grant program solely because it receives consideration from a health insurance issuer for health care services provided.

• Charge any applicant or enrollee, or request or receive any form of remuneration from or on behalf of an individual applicant or enrollee, for application or other assistance related to Illinois Navigator program duties.

• Provide gifts, including gift cards or cash, unless they are of nominal value, or provide promotional items that market or promote the products or services of a third party, to any applicant or potential enrollee as an inducement for enrollment.

Gifts, gift cards, or cash may exceed nominal value for the purpose of providing reimbursement for legitimate expenses incurred by a consumer in effort to receive application assistance, such as, but not limited to, travel or postage expenses.

• Use grant funds to purchase gifts or gift cards, or promotional items that market or promote the products or services of a third party that would be provided to any applicant or potential enrollee.

• Solicit any consumer for application or enrollment assistance by going door-to-door or through other unsolicited means of direct contact, including calling a consumer to provide application or enrollment assistance without the consumer initiating the contact, unless the individual has a pre-existing relationship with the Navigator or Navigator entity and other applicable State and Federal laws are otherwise complied with.

Outreach and education activities may be conducted by going door-to-door or through other unsolicited means of direct contact, including calling a consumer.

• Initiate any telephone call to a consumer using an automatic telephone dialing system or an artificial or prerecorded voice, except in cases where the Navigator or Navigator entity has a relationship with the consumer and so long as other applicable State and Federal laws are otherwise complied with.

All applicants and grantees must have a signed conflict of interest form on file for each Administrator, Program Manager and Navigator attesting the adherence to the following conflict-of-interest disclosure requirements: • Certain conflicts of interest, while not a bar to serving as an Illinois Navigator, must be disclosed to HFS and Get Covered Illinois and to each consumer receiving application assistance (which includes pre-enrollment and post-enrollment services, but does not include outreach and education assistance).

Disclosures include: • Any lines of insurance business, other than health insurance or stop loss insurance, which the Navigator intends to sell while serving as a Navigator. • Any existing and former employment relationships they have had within the last five years with any issuer of health insurance or stop loss insurance, or subsidiaries of such issuers.

• Any existing employment relationships between any health insurance issuer or stop-loss insurance issuer, or subsidiary of such issuers, and the individual’s spouse or domestic partner. • Any existing or anticipated financial, business, or contractual relationships with one or more issuers of health insurance or stop loss insurance or subsidiaries of such issuers.

• Upon request, all Illinois Navigator entities must submit a written plan to remain free of conflicts of interest during their term as Illinois Navigators. Applicant organizations may also apply for and receive funding through other programs providing funding for ACA enrollment assistance efforts.

However, applicant organizations that are selected for the Illinois Navigator grant program may not use other funding sources designated for outreach, education, or enrollment through the Marketplace to pay staff working as Illinois Navigators under this grant program. Each Illinois Navigator staff member must be dedicated to this grant on a full-time basis (e.g., no job sharing or adding navigator duties to an existing role).

Additional outreach and enrollment staff may be certified to support the funded program staff with other funding streams. Organizations that receive funding through another program must demonstrate that activities performed under the Illinois Navigator program will be distinct from those performed under the other program and maintain separate accounting and financial records for each program.

If an organization is applying for funding for the same activities through this NOFO and another program, please include an attachment that clearly identifies areas of overlap. If the organization receives an award in any of these areas, it will not be eligible for funding through this NOFO for overlapping activities or program staff.

If an organization receives funding from another source, it should submit the Project Narrative or similar document submitted with that application.

Additional Information URL Additional Information URL Description Organizations awarded funding through this grant opportunity will be required to provide in-person assistance to eligible individuals seeking to enroll in QHP (including advanced premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions) or Medicaid coverage. The list of required duties includes those referenced in Appendix I of this application.

In addition, outreach and education activities must be performed by all granted partners to raise awareness and knowledge of coverage options in Illinois.

Examples of required outreach and educational activities include but are not limited to: • Canvassing local communities and small businesses • Developing community contacts • Educational presentations • Visibility and tabling events • Using social channels to promote educational and enrollment activities All navigators must have appointments available on the Get Covered Illinois Find Help Tool and are responsible for updating all navigator or organizational information within 48 hours of any change.

IDOI and Get Covered Illinois are committed to engaging the communities that we are serving at times that are most beneficial to the public. Grantees and Illinois Navigators must be regularly available for client services during evening and weekend hours.

Due to the condensed open enrollment period, granted organizations and Illinois Navigators will limit the period of office closure, not to exceed four days throughout the Open Enrollment period (and through any potential extensions). Grantees must review their plan for enrollment coverage during emergency closures with Get Covered Illinois.

Organization Structure and Staffing Requirements: Lead Grantees of the Illinois Navigator Grant Program coordinate all operational and administrative matters for any/all sub-granted organizations in addition to directly fulfilling the Outreach and Enrollment requirements stated in the Illinois Navigator grant. All Lead Grantees will appoint a Program Director responsible for managing all Illinois Navigator grant activities.

Duties may include but are not limited to the following: • Manage partnership organizations within all service areas to ensure that project goals are being met. • Take responsibility for metrics and reporting requirements set by the Get Covered Illinois team. • Ensure that hours of operation and activities requirements are being met in all service areas.

• Participate in calls, webinars, email communication, as needed. • Ensure that certification requirements are met by all individuals expected to be certified under the grant (all Navigators and Program Managers). • Engage and serve as the point of contact for GCI and HFS.

Lead Grantees must also have a Project Supervisor who will directly manage their sub-contracted partners in regard to Illinois Navigator grant. For Lead Grantee organizations with 5 or more sub-grantees, a Project Supervisor may be dedicated to each group of 5 or more sub-grantees and be available full time to oversee the activities of the organization, per review and approval by GCI and HFS during budget review.

• Manage the Lead Grantee organization’s sub-contracted partners in regard to Illinois Navigator outreach and enrollment activities. • Monitor submission of fiscal reporting and performance reporting. • Participate in calls, webinars, email communication, as needed.

• Support activities related to grant and metrics reporting. • Support outreach / enrollment event planning and reporting. • Serve as point of contact for Navigators.

The lead organization must also designate an individual to serve as a Fiscal Manager for the grant program to support program activities. (Please see Appendix I for further detail on staffing requirements). The Fiscal Manager will oversee all financial and grant management activities for the Illinois Navigator program.

Duties may include but are not limited to the following: • Fulfill all reporting requirements on a timely basis as required by HFS and GCI. • Establish and manage grant oversight program for Lead Grantee organization and any sub-grantees. • Coordinate with HFS and GCI, as necessary, on grant procedures, processes, and requirements.

• Establish and implement appropriate tracking controls to ensure compliance with grant guidelines and requirements. • Participate in calls, webinars, email communication, as needed. Each Lead Grantee will also have a Lead Navigator.

Lead Navigators will be dedicated to performing enrollment and outreach functions within the service area on a full-time or part-time basis. If a sub-grantee has only one navigator, being the Lead Navigator, this position must be full-time.

The Lead Navigator will be responsible at the sub-grantee level for the day-to-day operations of the Illinois Navigator Program and will serve as back up when there are Navigator staff absences and/or when enrollment activities are high. Lead Navigator duties include the following: • Complete and maintain certification for the duration of employment under this position.

• Serve as back up when there are Navigator staff absences and/or when enrollment activities are high. • Maintain expertise in eligibility, enrollment, and program requirements. * Help Marketplace applicants who may be more apprehensive about completing a QHP enrollment due to cost and are typically confronted with more options than consumers under other programs.

* Follow-up appointments with Marketplace applicants may be required to complete the QHP enrollment process. • Attendance is required for all HFS/GCI trainings, webinars and in-person. • Provide in-person and virtual assistance to eligible individuals seeking to enroll in QHP (including advanced premium tax credits (APTC) and cost-sharing reductions (CSR)).

* Virtual assistance must include the ability to visually compare Marketplace Qualified Health Plans (QHP) with the consumer. * As necessary Navigators may help facilitate enrollment for individuals eligible for Medicaid and other Illinois programs. • Schedule, attend and report events.

* Examples of required outreach and educational activities include but are not limited to:  Canvassing local communities and small businesses  Developing community contacts  Educational presentations  Using social channels to promote educational and enrollment activities • Conduct public education activities to raise awareness about Get Covered Illinois, Marketplace QHPs, Illinois Medicaid, and utilization of health coverage.

• Provide information and services in a fair, accurate and impartial manner, such information must acknowledge all health benefit programs. • Provide referrals to the Illinois Department of Insurance, or any other appropriate State agencies, for any enrollee with a grievance, complaint, or question regarding their health plan, coverage, or a determination under such plan or coverage.

• Provide information in a manner that is culturally and linguistically appropriate to the needs of the population being served by Get Covered Illinois at no cost to those individuals, including individuals with limited English proficiency, and ensure accessibility and usability of Illinois Navigator tools and functions for individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

• Maintain a work schedule that meets the needs of the population being served. • Report required information to necessary staff related to enrollment numbers, appointment, outreach activities, and other metrics as necessary. Navigator staff members must be dedicated to this grant on a full-time basis (e.g., no job sharing or adding navigator duties to an existing role).

Navigator duties include the following: • Complete and maintain certification for the duration of employment under this position. • Maintain expertise in eligibility, enrollment, and program requirements. * Help Marketplace applicants who may be more apprehensive about completing a QHP enrollment due to cost and are typically confronted with more options than consumers under other programs.

* Follow-up appointments with Marketplace applicants may be required to complete the QHP enrollment process. • Attendance is required for all HFS/GCI trainings, webinars and in-person. • Provide in-person and virtual assistance to eligible individuals seeking to enroll in QHP (including advanced premium tax credits (APTCs) and cost-sharing reductions (CSRs)).

* Virtual assistance must include the ability to visually compare Marketplace Qualified Health Plans (QHP) with the consumer. * As necessary Navigators may help facilitate enrollment for individuals eligible for Medicaid and other Illinois programs. • Schedule, attend and report events.

* Examples of required outreach and educational activities include but are not limited to:  Canvassing local communities and small businesses  Developing community contacts  Educational presentations  Using social channels to promote educational and enrollment activities • Conduct public education activities to raise awareness about Get Covered Illinois, Marketplace QHPs, Illinois Medicaid, and utilization of health coverage.

• Provide information and services in a fair,