The Illinois Attorney General has engaged in multiple investigations, lawsuits, and settlements with opioid manufacturers, distributors, and chain pharmacies. By the end of 2023, nine settlements had been finalized and $199.5 million in payments were designated for Illinois. Approximately $1.3 billion is expected by 2038.

Each defendant in these settlements makes payments to a trust that has independent administrators. The trust administrators allocate the funds based upon individual state plans. In Illinois, the plan is called the Illinois Opioid Allocation Agreement, and the funds are shared between the State, Remediation Fund, and local governments. For details on projected and actual expenditures of settlement funds and distribution, visit https://ilopioidsettlements.com/.

The 55% of funds designated for the Remediation Fund are governed by Executive Order 2022-19, which established the Illinois Office of Opioid Settlement Administration (OOSA) and a process to govern the expenditures of the funds. The OOSA plans, administers, and manages the Remediation Fund, and partners with the Illinois Opioid Remediation Advisory Board to obtain approval for the use of funds from the Governor’s Opioid Prevention and Recovery Steering Committee.