DCF: Executive order extends some hotel stays but 1,100-room cap and verification process limit renewals

The Department for Children and Families told a legislative committee that the governor's March executive order prioritizing people deemed medically vulnerable and families with children for emergency hotel housing is in effect, but a 1,100-room statewide cap and verification procedures have limited the state's ability to renew stays.

At a committee meeting, Chris Winters, commissioner of the Department for Children and Families, said the order had a short implementation window and DCF has worked nonstop since learning it would take effect April 1. "We do have this executive order that prioritizes and extends the stay for a certain population of folks," Winters said, adding the state has been trying to verify who meets the medical criteria.

Why it matters: The executive order was intended to extend housing for people the administration identified as at heightened risk, but those protections do not automatically guarantee continued, state-funded hotel stays when statewide capacity is full. Lawmakers expressed concern that Vermonters identified by the administration as especially vulnerable are nevertheless being left without paid placement.

Miranda Graham, deputy commissioner of the Economic Services Division, described the department's rollout. DCF sent a letter to hotels on the evening the order was released and used a mix of pre-authorizations, partner referrals and self-attestations to identify eligible households. "On the 28th, when the executive order came out, we put together a letter, and had that sent to all of the hotels around 6PM that evening," Graham said.

Graham said DCF pre-authorized roughly 100 households based on existing partner information and had already extended authorizations for "hundreds of households" into April under the existing 80-day limit in statute. For the medically vulnerable category, DCF accepted provisional self-attestation and provisionally housed people for up to seven days while staff sought releases and medical records from providers so clinical staff across partner agencies could verify eligibility.

The department emphasized that the executive order did not change the 1,100-room cap used under Act 113; both those authorized under Act 113 and those whose stays were extended by the executive order compete for the same pool. "The executive order didn't change the number of rooms that are being used. So we are using 1,100 rooms for both those that qualify under Act 113, and then those that have their stay extended under the executive order," Graham said.

Lawmakers asked multiple questions about how verification and renewals work. DCF staff said periodic check-ins remain required to confirm continuing need and hotel availability. Because overall capacity fluctuates and the process is first-come, first-served on a given day, a person calling later in the day can lose a room even if they called on the day their authorization would otherwise be renewed.

Graham described the medical-verification process: DCF partners with the Department of Vermont Health Access, the Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living and chronic-care nurses to pre-authorize some households. For others, DCF used a self-attestation and a release-of-information form for providers; provisional housing for up to seven days gives time to obtain records. Graham said medical staff review whether an individual is actively using required medical equipment or services before confirming the medically vulnerable designation.

Lawmakers pressed about recordkeeping and release terms. Commissioners said releases are used to obtain medical records and that for people already known to DCF the medical documentation is connected to their file; for those not known to the agency, DCF will attempt to obtain records from providers or emergency-room histories. Miranda Graham said she would follow up with the committee on the precise language and duration of the release form.

Numbers discussed in committee: DCF said it had pre-authorized roughly 100 households and had previously seen winter peak numbers exceeding 900 households who were eligible but did not receive time in shelters. As of April 7, the department reported about 230 households housed under the executive order cohort; separately, staff said roughly 217 households had been identified through screening as meeting the medically vulnerable definition and 18 had provided medical documentation. The department also told lawmakers there are about 680 shelter beds statewide, and that DCF was monitoring usage and hotel vacancies weekly.

Lawmakers and staff agreed there is confusion in the field about who will remain housed. Representative Bishop said public statements from the administration had led people to believe that those covered by the executive order would automatically remain in state-paid rooms; DCF leaders said that while they are "trying to make that happen," limited capacity and the verification process have meant some qualifying people are not currently on the state's room list.

Graham and Winters said DCF can do some things immediately — for example, increased case management and stricter health-and-safety standards for contracted hotels — without additional legislation, but that longer-term changes to reduce reliance on hotels would require broader program and budget actions.

The department told the committee it will provide additional data requested by lawmakers, including a fuller count of who has been identified as eligible, the numbers tied to self-attestation and details on release-of-information forms and retention. "We can get you what we were able to understand," Winters said of mortality and related data the Department of Health has been asked to help track.

Ending: DCF officials acknowledged public confusion and said they would return data to the committee. Miranda Graham said DCF would follow up with the committee assistant and provide the requested materials on reach-up/reach-ahead and transportation timelines when available.