I keep getting the message “Cannot find an approved application for this person.” Does this mean I was not approved?

No this does not mean you were not approved. There are multiple reasons why this may happen and it primarily depends on how you input your data in the system mainly on your name and/or date of birth. TIP: Please make sure that when inputting your information: - Do not list accents on names as the system will not read special characters ((~) o ( ´ )). - For Date of Birth use MM/DD/YYYY format. If you entered a different format, this may cause a delay in the processing of your application as your information will have to be manually verified. Keep in mind we are looking at thousands of submissions.

My date of birth (DOB) does not match any application.

It is possible that when you applied, you listed your date of birth before your birth month (dd/mm/yyyy). The accepted format is as follows: MM/DD/YYYY. If you have single digits for your month and day on your DOB, do not add extra zeros. Ex: 7/8/1988.

I tried the other DOB format, but I still can’t find my application. What else can I do?

You might keep getting an error if your name has accents. Try looking for your application without adding the accents on your name. Another possibility is that you wrote your name wrong when applying for the lottery. You might have written the letters in different order or added an extra letter. Ex: “Lauar” instead of “Laura” or “Juuan” instead of “Juan”. If you cannot find your application after trying all these suggestions, email covidfund@icirr.org. It may take a few days for us to return your message, due to the volume of requests we are receiving.

What does "Under Review" mean?

Your application has yet to be reviewed because we are still in the process of reviewing that your submitted applications meet all the requirements for submission, this includes manually verifying the information and documents you have submitted. If approved, the list will be updated and you will then find an "Approved" message.

What does "On Hold" mean?

Your application is incomplete because it is missing required documents/information. If you submitted an incomplete application this will lead to a longer review process as we will have to contact you to submit the information needed in order to make a decision on your application. At the moment we are prioritizing applications that have been submitted with all necessary documents in order to make a decision.

What does "Approved" mean?

Your application has been approved. Approval of application triggers the process of producing a card that will have your funds loaded into them. Please note this process is connected to the availability of funds by the Illinois Department of Human Services. Once a card has been loaded with funds, you will get a notification via text and/or email based on the information you submitted during the lottery submission process. The notification will provide you with information and directions to pick up your card at an approved distribution center. Distribution centers will be located in different geographic areas and you will be assigned the closest to you based on the information you submitted in the lottery process. Given the number of requests, we expect the process to take about 30 business days after approval.

What does "Denied" mean?

Your application has been denied for one of the following reasons:

1. You are not eligible for the funds because based on your application you do not meet the eligibility requirements.
2. Duplicate - If you submitted multiple applications on your behalf then only one application -usually the one with the most information- will be approved.

When will I receive my card if my application was approved?

Given the number of requests, we expect the process to take about 30 business days after approval.

What if I have more questions?

Email covidfund@icirr.org if you have any questions. Due to the large volume of inquiries related to the Covid-19 lottery funds, we are experiencing delays replying to these inquiries.