Applications for programs supported by opioid settlement funds are open now. Learn more on the Funding Opportunities page.

In 2022, more than 3,000 Illinoisans died of opioid overdose.

To hold companies responsible for their roles in the opioid crisis, the Illinois Attorney General has engaged in multiple investigations, lawsuits, and settlements with opioid manufacturers, distributors, and chain pharmacies. The funds from the settlements will support recovery in communities hardest hit by the opioid crisis and throughout the state.¹

Settlements Overview

The Illinois Attorney General, along with attorneys general for numerous other states, filed lawsuits against prescription opioid distributors, manufacturers, and dispensers to seek recovery for their unfair and deceptive practices in the marketing, sale, and distribution of these drugs. These lawsuits led to numerous national multistate settlement agreements with various participants in the prescription opioid market. As a result of these efforts, Illinois expects to receive more than $1.3 billion in settlement monies by 2038, to be used in all parts of the state to abate the opioid crisis.

Updated information on the status of national opioid settlements can be found at:
National Opioids Settlement (nationalopioidsettlement.com)

Settlements Payments

The first settlement monies were distributed to Illinois in October 2022, with payments to continue for several years, the longest term of which is currently through 2038. To ensure that settlement monies coming to Illinois under any current and future national multistate opioid settlements are allocated equitably, the Illinois Attorney General’s office negotiated the Illinois Opioid Allocation Agreement (Allocation Agreement). The Allocation Agreement provides that a majority of Illinois’ money will go to the Illinois Remediation Fund to be used for abatement programs throughout the state and for an Advisory Board to be appointed to make recommendations on the uses of the monies. The Advisory Board is tasked with seeking to ensure an equitable allocation of the resources to all parts of the state, considering factors including population, rates of opioid use disorder, overdose deaths, and the amount of opioids shipped into a region. The Allocation Agreement also provides for a portion of the settlement monies to be distributed directly to Illinois counties and eligible municipalities to support remediation programs in their communities as determined by the counties and municipalities. The Allocation Agreement sets forth the list of approved abatement uses for the settlement monies.

November 2024

To date, national opioid settlements have been finalized with:

Allergan
AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, and McKesson (Distributors)
CVS
Endo
Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals
Meijer+
Johnson & Johnson
Publicis Health
Teva Pharmaceuticals
Walgreens
Walmart

+ The Meijer settlement was entered into by certain Illinois counties only, with the monies being distributed in accordance with the Illinois Opioid Allocation Agreement.

*Information current as of November 1, 2024

Office of Opioid Settlements Administration Update

November 2024

At its October 17, 2024 meeting, the Illinois Opioid Remediation Advisory Board (IORAB) reviewed and recommended $7.5 million to fund three recommendations: Tribal communities, Youth and Family Services, and a Contingency Management Pilot. This recommendation was subsequently approved for by the Governor’s Opioid Prevention and Recovery Steering Committee (Steering Committee) at its November 7, 2024 meeting.

The Interim Statewide Opioid Administrator also announced the establishment of a one-time investment balance. These funds may be used for start-up funding, single investments, or to address program funding gaps.

Tribal Communities: $3 million

This recommendation seeks to address the unmet needs of Tribal communities impacted by the opioid crisis. The objective will be to establish substance use prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery support services that honor the beliefs, customs, and values of Indigenous people who live in Illinois.

Youth and Family Services: $3 million

This recommendation seeks to fund a full system of services to meet the needs of adolescents and their families. Examples include new and innovative prevention interventions, screening and treatment services specifically designed for youth, young adults, and their families, programs that engage youth, young adults and their families in treatment, training for providers, recovery high schools, and recovery groups for adolescents.

Contingency Management Pilot: $1.5 million

This recommendation seeks to fund up to five pilot contingency management programs. Contingency management involves encouraging or discouraging a behavior to increase or decrease its frequency. It has been widely and successfully used to treat a multitude of human behaviors, including substance use disorders, depression, and anxiety management. Funding will support start-up costs for program set-up and would be considered a one-time investment.

The next meeting of the IORAB will be January 30, 2025. More information is available on the IORAB web page. More information on future Steering Committee meetings is available on the Steering Committee web page

About OOSA

Established by Executive Order 2022-19, the Illinois Office of Opioid Settlement Administration (OOSA) is the entity responsible for planning, administering, and managing 55% of the funds received from opioid settlements. The OOSA is housed within the Illinois Department of Human Services Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery.

The OOSA is dedicated to addressing the opioid crisis and employs resources to fund recommended and approved core abatement strategies for opioid settlement funds to combat the overdose epidemic as established in the Illinois Opioid Allocation Agreement (Allocation Agreement). These opioid core abatement strategies align with recommendations in the 2022 State of Illinois Overdose Action Plan (SOAP), a comprehensive, equity-centric outline for combatting the opioid epidemic.

The OOSA is led by the Statewide Opioid Settlement Administrator, who works collaboratively with the Illinois Opioid Remediation Advisory Board (IORAB) to develop non-binding funding recommendations to present to the Illinois Opioid Prevention and Recovery Steering Committee. The recommendations help ensure the state’s settlement portion in the trust (55%) is used for approved abatement strategies and equitably distributed across the state, taking into account the areas most impacted by the opioid epidemic. IORAB recommendations that are approved by the Steering Committee must be certified by the Attorney General’s office and processed in accordance with state requirements for funding opportunities.

For information on the IORAB, visit its webpage at Illinois Opioid Remediation Advisory Board.

Information for Local Governmental Units

“Local Government Units (LGs)” refers to the more than 200 Illinois counties and municipalities that are eligible to receive a direct distribution of settlement monies under the Allocation Agreement. LGs are required to use their opioid settlement distributions in accordance with the Allocation Agreement, and report their expenditures quarterly.