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Committee forwards draft language to appropriations on community outreach, FQHC payment work and Green Mountain Care Board staffing
Summary
Karen Carvey of the Office of Legislative Council presented draft budget‑adjustment language the committee agreed to forward to Appropriations, covering continuation of community outreach funding, a directive on FQHC payment methodology and authorization of new Green Mountain Care Board positions.
Karen Carvey of the Office of Legislative Council walked the Health Care committee through draft budget‑adjustment language on Feb. 26 that the committee agreed to forward to the Appropriations Committee.
Carvey outlined three main elements the language would convey: sustain existing community‑based mental‑health outreach efforts (including continued funding for the Howard Center’s community outreach program) for at least one additional year; direct the Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA) to collaborate with federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) to develop a mutually agreeable Medicaid payment methodology compliant with federal requirements and due Oct. 1; and authorize new positions at the Green Mountain Care Board to meet staffing needs and to prepare for potential implementation of the AHEAD model through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
On positions, Carvey described the proposal in three parts: establishment of three permanent classified positions at the board (a health systems financial principal analyst, a health systems access principal analyst and a health systems quality project manager) to be transferred and converted from existing vacant executive‑branch positions; conditional authorization of two additional permanent classified positions (a director of global budget and a procurement manager) if the state moves forward with the AHEAD model, with the positions authorized to begin in the second quarter of fiscal year 2026; and two 12‑month limited‑service data and reporting coordinator positions with one‑time and regulatory fund support for fiscal year 2026.
Carvey spelled out the funding described in the draft: $135,000 in base funding from the general fund and $202,500 from the Green Mountain Care Board regulatory fund for the conditional positions, and $80,000 one‑time general‑fund and $120,000 from the regulatory fund for the limited‑service positions in FY26. Committee members asked whether the funds and positions would be rescinded if AHEAD did not move forward; Carvey said that the conditional positions are contingent on the state moving forward and that if not created the money would remain in the general fund for reallocation as part of a budget adjustment.
Members emphasized the committee’s interest in preserving community outreach and mobile crisis services while language is prepared for appropriations. The draft directs the Department of Mental Health to report to the committee and appropriations on how to sustain and expand low‑barrier community‑based mental health outreach, integrate such services with 988 local crisis response and other peer‑based services, and identify options for underserved rural areas.
Committee members asked for additional follow‑up and signaled agreement to forward the draft language. Several members asked to revisit details later, including the Green Mountain Care Board’s priorities if AHEAD is not implemented.
The committee indicated consensus to send the language to Appropriations; no formal roll‑call vote was recorded in the transcript.
