Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Officials urge planning for nursing-home capacity and more supportive housing for people with developmental disabilities
Loading...
Summary
Department leaders told the Senate Appropriations committee the long-term care continuum is fragile: nursing-home bed pressures and closures create urgency for residential alternatives, and supportive-housing pilots (Act 186) are being used to expand smaller, permanent housing options for people with developmental disabilities.
Commissioner Jill Belling told the Senate Appropriations committee Vermont's long-term care continuum needs forward planning to prevent further nursing-home closures and to expand community-based alternatives for people with developmental disabilities.
Supportive housing: Belling highlighted supportive-housing work that followed last session's Act 59 and earlier pilots (Act 186 in 2022). She cited the Haynes housing project as an example of a pilot that came to fruition and said the state needs more settings and choice; Belling referenced an estimate in "Act 69" that suggested space needs in the hundreds, saying "we need space to 600 people," characterizing it as a large lift from current capacity.
Adult day services underutilization: the department reported adult-day services have lower attendance since the pandemic and noted transportation and "no-show" payment rules reduce utilization. To reflect lower utilization, the department proposed holding $1,000,000 back from the adult-day line as an efficiency rather than a program cut; staff said providers have complained the fee-for-service payment structure penalizes centers for short-term absences.
Nursing-home stabilization: Belling described multiple focus areas'workforce, infrastructure, capacity for complex care'and said a stakeholder engagement kickoff is scheduled. She said MissionCare in Bennington met contractual obligations, is about 90 percent full and has admitted more than 60 residents since opening, easing some pressure on emergency departments.
Public safety caseloads and Act 248: the department described increased costs related to Act 248 (competency-related commitments for people with intellectual disabilities charged with crimes). Belling said the program is specialized (about 30 people) and requires community monitoring and support, and she included an approximate increase of $3.34 million for public-safety related services in the developmental services request.
Committee concerns and next steps: senators asked how to add nursing-home capacity and whether smaller or refurbished facilities are feasible; staff said adding capacity is difficult because of facility condition and staffing needs, and the department will continue engagement and planning.
