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Vermont integrated eligibility effort shows renewed momentum after years of delay
Summary
JFO consultant Lisa Goggan told the House Energy and Digital Infrastructure Committee that the long-running integrated eligibility and enrollment program has posted concrete progress: a new team, an RFP posted with bids due in January and work toward replacing a mainframe database, with a possible spring budget request forthcoming.
Lisa Goggan, JFO contracted IT consultant, told the House Energy and Digital Infrastructure Committee on Jan. 23 that the state's long-running integrated eligibility and enrollment (IEE) program has moved from uncertainty to a more defined path and could seek funding in the spring.
Goggan said the program dates back to about 2009 and identified an appropriation around February 2012. "They've really made a lot of headway in the last 2 years," Goggan said, adding that the team reorganized, revised requirements and recently posted an RFP with responses due in January.
The project matters because it aims to let Vermonters apply for multiple benefits in a single portal. "There are a lot of various assistance programs the state provides. This integrated eligibility and enrollment was to try to make a single portal that a promoter could go to and find out what programs they might be eligible for and enroll in them in one place," a committee member summarized during the hearing.
Goggan said the program differs from many IT projects because it is governed by federal rules and funding matches: Vermont pays a share and federal agencies require review steps, including an independent verification and validation (IV&V) vendor that checks federal compliance and readiness before deployment. She said the IEE team has consulted with other states and aligned vendor expectations to reduce the need for custom work.
Goggan described the technical challenge posed by the existing mainframe system, referenced in the briefing materials as "access." She said the project plans to implement a new database and simultaneously update the existing mainframe instance; once dependent systems are detached, the state would rely on the new database.
The consultant said the current trajectory is encouraging but did not provide a firm implementation date. "The bids are coming in now," Goggan said. She added that if the team pursues a budget request, the committee can expect the program team to appear with details.
Committee members said they expect to invite the program team to testify if the budget request is filed.
Outlook: Goggan recommended follow-up hearings and documentation review when the vendor responses and a formal budget request are available.
