Nonprofits urge lawmakers to restore or boost FY27 funding for food, care and emergency programs

Dozens of nonprofit leaders and community representatives told the joint House and Senate Appropriations Committees on Monday that Vermont’s governor-proposed FY27 budget would leave critical services underfunded at a moment of rising demand.

Testimony from providers and service networks front-loaded warnings about increasing need and gaps created by static or cut funding. Diana Jones of the Vermont Association of Senior Centers said senior centers are seeing steady growth in clients and that a 2025 state/Medicaid add to Meals on Wheels amounted to roughly $0.60 per meal and has not kept pace with food and staffing costs. "We are doing more with less than ever before," she said.

Representatives of the Vermont Food Bank and local food programs asked the committees to appropriate $5 million in FY27, including $2 million for the Vermonters Feeding Vermonters grant program, to maintain local purchasing and emergency readiness. John Sales, CEO of the Vermont Food Bank, outlined a three-part request of $2 million for local purchases, $2 million for local food shelves and $1 million for emergency readiness and coordination with Vermont Emergency Management.

Speakers representing long-term care and designated service agencies, including the Long Term Care Crisis Coalition and VNAs of Vermont, urged inflationary increases of about 3.5% to home- and community-based Medicaid rates and long-term-care payments to cover rising costs and recent federal cuts. Eric Covey, interim executive director for VNAs of Vermont, said a modest 3.5% increase would help move many payments closer to 70% of Medicare and partially offset recent CMS actions.

Multiple witnesses, including farmer advocates and individual growers, pressed for a $15.6 million appropriation to create or fund a Farm and Forestry Operations Security Special Fund (speakers referenced S.60), arguing federal insurance and ad-hoc programs have left diversified farms vulnerable to costly floods and frost events. Several community organizations also requested base funding increases or restorations for domestic-violence services ($450,000), parent-child centers (a $1.88 million increase to the integrated grant), benefit-assister programs, and targeted homelessness supports tied to disability-focused case management ($611,625).

The hearing was a listening-only public comment session; committee chairs did not ask questions and no votes or committee actions were taken at the hearing. The committees said they will read submitted written testimony and continue consideration of FY27 appropriations at subsequent meetings. The next public hearing is scheduled for next Thursday.