How Did the COVID-19 Pandemic Affect the Provision of Transition Services in Centers for Independent Living (CILs)?

A 2020 survey of 144 CILs, conducted in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, described significant service disruptions and widespread hardship among consumers and providers (Kennedy, Frieden, and Dick-Mosher, 2021). Several CILs mentioned that transition services, including those which help institutionalized residents return to the community, had been suspended or scaled back during the pandemic. Respondents attributed these changes to new state restrictions on visiting institutions, concerns for the safety of CIL staff, administrative delays, and limited community resources. This 2021 follow-up survey asked Centers to compare the volume of pre- and post-pandemic transitions (April-September 2019 vs. April-September 2020), and describe ways in which COVID-19 had impacted the provision of these services.