Lawmakers hear S.53 to certify community-based perinatal doulas and add Medicaid coverage

Vermont lawmakers heard testimony on S.53, an act to establish voluntary certification for community-based perinatal doulas and to require Medicaid reimbursement for services provided by certified doulas.

The bill, introduced to the committee by Jen Tarvin of the Office of Legislative Counsel, would create a new chapter in Title 26 (chapter 84) defining "community-based perinatal doula," establish a certification process administered by the Office of Professional Regulation (OPR), and add doula services to the list of health-care professions for which OPR may inquire into criminal background histories. "This is S.53, an act relating to certification of community based perinatal doulas and Medicaid coverage for doula services," Tarvin told the committee.

The bill would allow noncertified doulas to continue practicing but would require certification to participate as a Medicaid provider. Certification criteria would be set by OPR and may include demonstration of competencies acquired through experience, mentorship, formal training, or a combination determined by rule, plus any criminal-history or registry checks required by the director by rule. The OPR director would be required to maintain a registry, grant and renew certificates, and refer disciplinary matters to an administrative law officer. OPR also would appoint two adviser appointees who must have at least three years' recent experience providing community-based perinatal…