[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6316735,"mediaKeyId","2375787-6c8bcca8d266534e9ba443de2733fa7a","parentId",2375787,"title","Committee reviews long-term-care rate study, Meals on Wheels boost and seeks details on pilot recovery campus","audioSeconds",462,"startMs",2728000,"endMs",3190000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2375787-6c8bcca8d266534e9ba443de2733fa7a&start=2728&end=3190","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2375787-6c8bcca8d266534e9ba443de2733fa7a/thumbnail_2728000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6316735/Vermont/Committee-reviews-long-term-care-rate-study-Meals-on-Wheels-boost-and-seeks-details-on-pilot-recovery-campus","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6316735-2b62e54782d5758d8963144d00e898d8/orig.mp4?Expires=1776222239&Signature=Uiy8CzheJBAl5aNa7fDO2VtQd8i6s2zuohMHV84JTPdEP7twiT04vxra8-flYiCc3vyn8nBrYCAtuG-FGVHdLUkT5iGdoq18VzCRePoTxOmVJ7kojSkIOWdOJVOjJFik2tQRHapXifFacBUwAm1FaDI6Eba00dd-Iy0v2lGLaCLdHdcTYXOglNy2aTpHPergXrF4jOGebbZo4qMNTAP5zrlu-Hsi~-gaY9OiBraPUsIulZs7xS-rRB53Ivc-7PJpDCQD31dtKhjJtYpMflagLAHOY6rDXBpedlTxGpME-9g559QfGvyursh2WfBXg7K-tstUlk7pDHt6EQFERcv4ew__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-02-21T15:08:51Z","article","The Human Services subcommittee discussed a range of aging and behavioral-health items on Feb. 12, including phased implementation of a 2023 rate study for long-term-care services, a request to raise Meals on Wheels reimbursement, and a pilot recovery campus proposal in the Health Department budget.

Presenters summarized the rate-study implementation: approximately $3.8 million general fund would bring ERC (elder residential care) levels 1' 3 up to the study targets, and an additional roughly $2.2 million GF-equivalent would cover personal care, respite and related services, for a combined approximate GF total just over $6 million to align with the 2023 study rates. Committee members also discussed a broader home- and community-based-services (HCBS) request to provide a 4% across-the-board provider increase; 1% was estimated at roughly $6.57 million gross, and a 4% increase was presented as approximately $12.1 million (committee members asked staff to confirm gross vs. GF shares and exact tallies for any final recommendation).

On home share expansion, a committee member proposed a targeted $235,000 GF investment to expand home-share options in the Northeast Kingdom to create additional housing options for older Vermonters.

The committee also considered a proposal to increase Meals on Wheels reimbursement. Presenters said nearly 987,000 meals were served last year at an average per-meal cost of $13.42; the current reimbursement is about $5.80 per meal. The committee discussed a $2 million GF addition that would leverage Medicaid match to raise reimbursement toward $10.20 per meal; presenters estimated the gross (matched) impact at roughly $4.8 million depending on the final match rate (the department cited a blended match of about 41.2%). Members asked for the meal-cost analysis and precise match calculations before acting.

Separately, committee members asked for more detail about a $500,000 one-time Health Department request listed as acquisition/fit-up for a pilot recovery campus. Members said the budget spreadsheets show the item in the one-time section and that it appears in the global-commitment/up-and-downs spreadsheet in a way that suggests potential Medicaid matchability, but they reported conflicting information from staff and asked for follow-up, including whether this project had been vetted by the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee.

The committee also heard a small, one-year request of $40,000 from the Empty Arms peer-support program; members were inclined to consider it given the program's limited statewide availability.

No final appropriations votes were taken; staff were asked to gather exact cost breakdowns, meal-cost analyses, match-rate calculations and additional documentation on the recovery-campus concept and its engagement with advisory bodies.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Human Services - 2025-02-21 10:08 AM","oneSentenceSummary","Members recommended implementing the 2023 long-term-care rate study in phases (roughly $6 million gross to reach study rates), discussed a proposed $2 million allocation to raise Meals on Wheels reimbursement, and sought more details about a $500,000 pilot recovery campus request.","taxTitle","Human Services, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative , Vermont","taxId",35147,"location","Vermont","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6316740,"Appropriations members press for clarity on GA shelter funding, HOP integration and food program projections",558,2062000,2620000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2375787-6c8bcca8d266534e9ba443de2733fa7a&start=2062&end=2620","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2375787-6c8bcca8d266534e9ba443de2733fa7a/thumbnail_2062000.jpg","/articles/6316740/Vermont/Appropriations-members-press-for-clarity-on-GA-shelter-funding-HOP-integration-and-food-program-projections","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6316740-a4c74fb746d81786c5b5685e3fbc0ab2/orig.mp4?Expires=1776222239&Signature=fnqBzvcX1taTBb1SaKUtOClRR5jyfiC7RI8Lnqr8tFk8kQaXqTi8OsY63hjJ~RwTAHYylLIqIacgFkYaQlnCOFlxKr-Q0-QgijNf4KJa0VMKWBz1eyboLO23iEsxk~kWFpTFSs7Qmywfn9KQBAN4OceS2rHrOfkIWWB9nCKinMMuz1XwkeJ6obbZ~dl3IfBoiu9c4IQrs4aQcZwBXRPbMZ15FturanxSde6KejjTpGYPDYqkeJVSJmspa5PHkFv3FIv5-kQeZ2ilNd8ozkI7DueX-0tpt1gZyhUyFR8e1kdy2UTWgl-DKmMOKdxGqv7CzTSlHHqXOdXcMsAIANIR~w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","During the Feb. 12 Human Services budget review, committee members pressed staff and agency representatives for clearer budget language on General Assistance (GA) non-emergency shelter funding, the Housing Opportunity Program (HOP) transition language, and projections for the 3Squares nutrition program and related restaurant-meal initiatives.

The committee reiterated support for maintaining base funding and a requested $322,000 adjustment to sustain administrative and support services tied to GA and related coverage. Members said the GA shelter program remains at capacity in some locales and urged the department to consider options for better outreach or for directing marketplace medical stipends to community clinics so funds reach intended recipients.

On HOP and shelter integration, committee members asked colleagues to look at FY26 as a transition year, requested specific prioritization language for the incoming H91 implementation, and urged that the committee coordinate with Agriculture and other committees where programs overlap (for example, restaurant-meal programs serving vulnerable populations).

The presenters also raised the committee's outstanding questions about the department's use of consultant projections to set benefit levels (a so-called \"ratable reduction\") and asked staff to seek higher-end contractor estimates; the governor's recommended reduction reflected use of the consultant's low-end projection, which committee members questioned given persistent poverty rates.

No formal votes were taken; members requested refined language and additional data from DCF and suggested coordinating testimony across affected committees before finalizing recommendations.

","Committee members asked for clearer language and intercommittee coordination on General Assistance (GA) shelter supports, the Housing Opportunity Program (HOP) transition, and 3Squares and restaurant-meal program projections tied to hunger and shelter demand.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6316745,"Committee seeks one-time backfill for statewide supervised-visitation coordination, flags transportation and restrictive-placement costs",146,1424000,1570000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2375787-6c8bcca8d266534e9ba443de2733fa7a&start=1424&end=1570","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2375787-6c8bcca8d266534e9ba443de2733fa7a/thumbnail_1424000.jpg","/articles/6316745/Vermont/Committee-seeks-one-time-backfill-for-statewide-supervised-visitation-coordination-flags-transportation-and-restrictive-placement-costs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6316745-34e8c4f1bfba2f7335090969fb80a1b8/orig.mp4?Expires=1776222239&Signature=Eb4vnai2CYrpiaYCUZrA18tS2ebnNu2I9ru8ytNgRAIkE19jmp9~qBxrsGxI6jBX0wW7XIk4gI~KMwkFfCfE~plMNf8FvOrXdsAouTS0tNAf7Ocd5MVcXFPbaBuwRzwFjHK2y2EXZ9bEsHUsBEQyahdPExuuLJxAVy2Vx~A2KYK0vzpnhZEvDiSyEDtt~bANncfDpzzpyWIyHgC4xXW5mvF2EsX47Vw5AUoU0EXB4IJOwtU973W1IuptYbPhxtQ0nWYE6BvvPQhUvzyuGj06AxBxPpVrC5XvAO~VI8ubv06sy2AnCm2IUssO3UJ-OqF7Oo3ajtoWIRzHUNTtm1z5Fw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Members of the House Appropriations Committee's Human Services panel on Feb. 12 identified a set of urgent family-services issues, recommending a one-time backfill to sustain statewide supervised-visitation coordination and urging further analysis of transportation contracts and plans for restrictive youth placements.

A presenter told the committee that the Center for Crime Victim Services had been funding statewide coordination of supervised visitation, which allows children to have monitored contact with a parent when unsupervised contact is judged unsafe. The non-state grant funding can no longer support the coordinator; members recommended backfilling $30,640 one time from a special judiciary account as a stopgap and asked for joint Judiciary and AHS language requiring a sustainability plan next year.

The committee supported paying anticipated increases in transportation contracts for children in care but requested more data from the department to ensure contracting practices and contractor capacity had not backslid. Members said if the department's forthcoming data show problems, they will ask for annual reporting language.

Committee members also discussed juvenile restrictive placements and the proposed youth campus. Presenters said the campus planning has carryover funds and is likely to appear in the appropriations budget (not as a capital request) under a lease-to-build model; the committee said it has incomplete information about final costs and timing and is considering recommending that some carryover funds be used to maximize capacity in existing, less-restrictive placements where staffing allows.

Several members raised the fingerprinting backlog at the Vermont Criminal Information Center (VCIC) as a barrier to hiring for shelters and treatment providers. Panel members said delayed background-check processing is slowing onboarding and could be a limiting factor on using existing beds; they suggested coordination with Judiciary or Government Operations to address capacity at VCIC.

The committee recorded no formal votes at the Feb. 12 meeting on these items but directed staff to obtain updated data from DCF and Judiciary and to prepare language for sustaining supervised-visitation coordination and for reporting on transportation contracts.

","Members told Human Services staff that $30,640 is needed to sustain supervised-visitation coordination and that rising transportation and restrictive-placement costs require deeper review; fingerprinting backlogs were cited as a cross-cutting staffing constraint.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6316749,"Appropriations committee urges automatic childcare reimbursement increase, sets aside funds to meet 7% co-pay cap",515,155000,670000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2375787-6c8bcca8d266534e9ba443de2733fa7a&start=155&end=670","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2375787-6c8bcca8d266534e9ba443de2733fa7a/thumbnail_155000.jpg","/articles/6316749/Vermont/Appropriations-committee-urges-automatic-childcare-reimbursement-increase-sets-aside-funds-to-meet-7-co-pay-cap","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6316749-1281103c59caef1549acd1173eb8b4f6/orig.mp4?Expires=1776222239&Signature=mO713UfoQ-acGJGHhIrokUR9fIcemfjf1ZX~DPic9ToMfow7dWFVWRXyoEI01miH52cWK-PBU-ys4Tqj2IZC4ygraH3yzlgUstLvqZ4EqKo42COetLqXqV2OMydhhzrVSA7XwfMMhNEchJSht-09mpmKyDAHXzYRol48ulhdgr6i0ZBgIWashbU29xJDEpOvIoCNp59~EPlSFusZMw899QrA68~E~rkVeWjMbItc50IFpGK7DYkBRbb~ktibk6w1Spmw77oX1yMv8Pj7MYjeZGo9nHMTISwZry~H2kgngBFKejZH2Aj7vCkIADEq2cdoDCHlXnobchkwKpJlNS2HHA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A subcommittee of the Vermont House Appropriations Committee on Human Services on Feb. 12 recommended establishing an automatic annual reimbursement increase for child-care providers, setting aside one-time funds to comply with a new 7% family co-pay cap, and adding modest base increases for Building Bright Futures and Children's Integrated Services.

The recommendations were presented as part of the committee's review of the governor's budget; the governor's proposal included $3.5 million in caseload savings for the Child Care Financial Assistance Program and a $19 million base adjustment related to the payroll tax contribution for childcare. Committee members said those items did not address some priorities they consider critical to preserve provider capacity and workforce stability.

The committee's top priority for the Child Development Division (CDD) is adding language this year to make automatic, index-based reimbursement-rate increases mandatory rather than discretionary. A committee member said increasing reimbursement rates \"puts money directly in the pockets of programs that they can use to increase wages, recruit better, offer benefits, [and] have substitutes,\" and argued an automatic adjustment would help retention and avoid programs becoming underfunded again after earlier reforms in Act 76.

Committee members said CDD is working with the Joint Fiscal Office (JFO) to calculate the fiscal impact of making the index-based increase automatic; no final dollar figure was available at the Feb. 12 meeting.

The panel also flagged a federal Office of Child Care rule that caps a family's co-pay contribution at 7% of income. The committee was told Vermont's current distribution of co-pays runs around 12.5% for some families after Act 76. The department is modeling financial impacts and plans to come into compliance in FY27; the committee recommended putting money aside to ensure compliance, using a placeholder figure of $5 million while awaiting the department's detailed estimate.

Other CDD items the committee recommended or discussed:

- Building Bright Futures: a proposed $322,000 increase to base funding to sustain statewide advisory and monitoring functions, including two staff positions and support for regional councils, to replace expiring grant-funded roles tied to the Preschool Development Grant (PDG).

- Children's Integrated Services (CIS): committee members cited a prior cost study that found the per-family reimbursement should be higher than the current $650 per family per month; they recommended raising the rate by $25 to $675 per family per month and adding $450,000 to the base.

- Workforce supports: a recommended $500,000 increase for a student loan repayment program for childcare employees, and funding to clear the wait list for a youth apprenticeship program that currently serves 25 students and has a waiting list. Committee members said the apprenticeship program provides stipends and mentorship to help high-school students enter the early-childhood workforce.

- Information technology: the committee heard that the CDD's second phase of a new IT system is funded with one-time and CCDF dollars (about $3 million GF one-time and $670,000 ongoing CCDF); members agreed the department appears to have sufficient funds to proceed to the next development phase and did not prioritize additional base funding for IT at this time.

Committee members emphasized they are prioritizing investments that directly support workforce recruitment and retention and urged the department to provide additional cost details to finalize recommendations.

","Committee members told the Human Services panel they want an automatic reimbursement-rate adjustment for early-childhood programs, funding to comply with a new 7% family co-pay cap, and targeted investments in workforce supports including loan repayment and apprenticeships.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee reviews long-term-care rate study, Meals on Wheels boost and seeks details on pilot recovery campus

Appropriations members press for clarity on GA shelter funding, HOP integration and food program projections

Committee seeks one-time backfill for statewide supervised-visitation coordination, flags transportation and restrictive-placement costs

Appropriations committee urges automatic childcare reimbursement increase, sets aside funds to meet 7% co-pay cap