Delegation staff say CMS guidance does not specifically rule out Chittenden County for $195M rural health transformation funds
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Summary
At a Feb. 24 briefing, delegation staff said the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) notice of funding opportunity does not explicitly exclude Chittenden County from Vermont's rural health transformation award; final definitions of who is served will be set by the state and CMS.
MIDDLEBURY, Vt. — During a Feb. 24 briefing to the House Appropriations Committee, state director Catherine Van Hase said the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for the federal rural health transformation award does not specifically exclude Chittenden County from eligibility.
The delegation staff explained that Vermont’s approved statewide application is the starting point for implementation and that CMS and the state will work together to determine how the $195 million in funding is distributed and which patients and facilities are eligible.
“I do not at this point…have any information that CMS would be opposed to a definition that includes Chittenden County,” Van Hase said, while noting practical limits: the NOFO and subsequent state–CMS discussions will determine whether eligibility is determined by where patients live or where facilities are located. She added that regionalization — routing expertise and services to places that serve rural patients — is a major focus of the program.
Van Hase and other staff urged local health centers and designated agencies to follow the state’s technical guidance once it becomes available and offered delegation assistance to raise questions with CMS if necessary. The committee asked for follow-up conversations offline to clarify how the funds could be used across county lines.
No final eligibility rules were decided at the meeting; the delegation advised continued coordination among the committee, the governor’s office and CMS.