JB Pritzker, Governor, State of Illinois

Court of Claims

{Court of Claims Act; 705 ILCS 505/}

Court of Claims Process
Documentation
Submit Claim Forms

Schools or students can seek recourse for claims that could not be approved in time to be paid during the regular fiscal year or lapse period. Generally the circumstance for submitting a claim through the Court of Claims is due to a delay in payment processing such as an appeal being approved late in the award year. Late claims in programs for which timely claims were prorated will not be approved for payment through the Court of Claims. In addition, claims submitted requesting payment of the difference between the amount that ISAC pays for the Illinois Veterans Grant (IVG) and the Illinois National Guard (ING) Grant payment claims and the amount of the entitlement that the school is responsible to pay will not be approved.

Court of Claims Process

  • A student or school submits a Court of Claims Complaint form with documentation to the Illinois Court of Claims office.
  • The Illinois Court of Claims office forwards the claim form to the Illinois Attorney General’s office, which represents ISAC.
  • The Attorney General’s office consults with ISAC to determine what action should occur with the claim form (i.e., eligible, ineligible, partial eligibility) in accordance with the rules and regulations that govern the program.
  • ISAC reviews the documentation and returns the claim with an approval or reason for denial back to the Attorney General’s office.
  • After a decision is made, the Attorney General’s office conveys that decision and returns the claim form back to the Court of Claims office which then renders its decision to the school or student.

Documentation

Documentation must accompany all claim forms submitted by the school or student and clearly state the amount of the charges paid by the student for the enrollment period in dispute.  If the total amount claimed is against the same agency within the same fiscal year (the state fiscal year runs from July 1-June 30), multiple invoices or other charges can be filed on the same claim form.

A claim must include a Court of Claims Lapsed Appropriation Form and an ISAC Court of Claims Lapsed Appropriation Request Form.

  • The Court of Claims Lapsed Appropriation Form is available on the Illinois Court of Claims website, through ISAC and postsecondary institutions. 
  • The ISAC Court of Claims Lapsed Appropriation Request Form (or the school’s own form) must also be included with the Court of Claims Lapsed Appropriation Form and documentation to provide all of the information necessary to evaluate the request and make a decision to approve or deny the claim. To expedite ISAC's servicing the claim, including a letter explaining why a student(s) payment was not requested during the academic year is suggested. Additional documentation, if necessary to verify the student(s) is in compliance with all Monetary Award Program (MAP) requirements and/or all other gift assistance programs should also be included.

The Court of Claims Lapsed Appropriation Form, the ISAC Court of Claims Lapsed Appropriation Request Form along with any itemized bills, invoices, or other materials that substantiate the claim are to be sent to the Illinois Court of Claims following the instructions on the claim form, and must include the required number of copies for each claim. All correspondence must be written, and filing a claim does not guarantee payment. There is no fee required to submit Lapsed Appropriation Claims. There is a two-year time limit to file Court of Claims request.

Submit claim forms and documentation to:

Deputy Clerk
Illinois Court of Claims
630 South College
Springfield, IL 62756

If you have any questions, refer to the Illinois Court of Claims website for contact information.