House committee questions how H.550 would change medical care and searches for transgender and intersex inmates

The House Corrections & Institutions Committee examined proposed changes in H.550 on Thursday, focusing on the bill's medical‑care provisions for people in custody who are transgender, gender‑diverse or intersex.

Dr. Jim Uliger, Wellpath's statewide medical director in the Vermont Department of Corrections, told the committee the contractor currently has "no standardized process" for handling every gender‑diverse case and generally treats "the medical needs of the person in front of us" rather than following a single workflow. He said the number of active cases is small — "about 11 or 12 folks" in the system — but each presents different clinical and custodial needs.

Why it matters: The draft would add language requiring medical care and affirming services for people in custody while also restricting searches "for the sole purpose of determining an individual's genital status." Committee members pressed whether that restriction could create operational gaps, how it interacts with existing DOC security protocols, and whether Wellpath and DOC staff could be put between contract limits and statutory language.

Key details and questions raised

• Clinical standards and limits. Uliger said medical practice typically requires a…