The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) is rolling out a new online licensing system to replace its old paper-based, backlog-prone process — aiming to finally eliminate the historic wait times that frustrated so many professionals.
As Chair of the House Health Care Licensing Committee, I called for a subject-matter hearing to review IDFPR’s progress and press for the rollout of all license applications online.
“I’ve been around state government for over 15 years now, and I really am hard pressed to think of a turnaround like this.”
The reforms are already showing results:
- In December 2023, the legislature passed a law authorizing IDFPR to build an online licensing platform.
- In October 2024, IDFPR launched the initial version of the system, called CORE (Comprehensive Online Regulatory Environment), covering licenses for clinical psychologists, music therapists, and nail technicians.
- By early 2025, CORE expanded to professional midwives, behavioral analysts, and assistant behavior analysts.
- The rollout will continue in six phases, with all license types expected online by August 2026.
- Since launch, customer satisfaction has hit 98%, with nearly 121,000 licenses issued in 2024 — a 14% increase over 2023.
- Applicant support inquiries have dropped by one-third, and call volume is down almost 40%.
I admitted that when the law first passed, I wasn’t certain the department could overcome its backlog. But the results speak for themselves:
“It’s a little surreal, because to me, this is exactly the kind of progress that we would want to see … I think it’s safe to say you are absolutely moving in the right direction, and I want to thank you for that.”
👉 Read the full article here: Illinois department streamlines online licensing system