Committee presses DVHA and DOC to rewrite H.32 reporting language for MOUD continuity and data access

The Corrections & Institutions Committee spent most of its April 15 meeting examining H.32, a bill that would require the Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA) and the Department of Corrections (DOC) to report on how many formerly incarcerated Vermonters reenter the community and whether they continue medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD).

Committee chair opened the session by asking agencies to explain who holds the data necessary to produce the requested report. For the record, Alex Mascracken, director of communications and legislative affairs for the Department of Vermont Health Access, said DVHA does not currently have the visibility needed: “Incarcerated individuals are not enrolled in Medicaid. They don't submit claims or reimbursement through the Medicaid grama, so we don't have any visibility on, what's going on with their Medicaid or MAT, when they're incarcerated.”

Why this matters: lawmakers said the requested annual report is intended to measure whether people who start or continue MOUD while incarcerated remain on that treatment after release — an outcome the committee equates with reduced overdose risk and better reentry outcomes. Committee members and agency staff agreed the data exist in pieces across agencies but are not currently linked in a way that would support the bill’s present, annual reporting mandate.

Key discussion points and technical barriers

- Data ownership and visibility: Mascracken said DVHA can see Medicaid claims made after release, but cannot by itself identify which claims belong to previously…