Springfield — Illinois’ Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) told lawmakers at a House Health Care Licensing Committee hearing that its new digital licensing platform is cutting delays and improving service after years of paper-based backlogs.
The Comprehensive Online Regulatory Environment (CORE) launched in October 2024 with applications for clinical psychologists, music therapists, and nail technicians. In January, the department added four more categories—professional midwives, behavior analysts, assistant behavior analysts, and continuing-education sponsors for behavior analysts—and said additional license types will continue to come online in small waves rather than in a single, large release.
Leaders described a two-track approach: keep adding license types (Phases 2–3) while continuously refining forms, payment steps, status tracking, and information requests based on real-world use. The goal is to have all professions applying and renewing online by the end of summer 2025, with full integration of the platform (Phase 6) targeted for August 2026.
The shift follows a 2023 law that enabled online applications and comes after mail-based processing, worsened by pandemic disruptions, produced severe delays. Since CORE’s debut, IDFPR reports 98% customer-satisfaction survey results; a record 120,933 licenses issued in 2024 (about 14% more than in 2023); a 33% drop in applicant inquiries between September 2024 and February 2025; and an almost 40% decline in call-centre volume.
Committee members commended the department for the turnaround, while agency leaders emphasized that most applications being handled now were filed this year—an indication, they said, that the backlog is giving way to a more responsive, online-first system.
