Agency of Human Services Programmatic Performance Measure Budget (2022)

What We Do

The Family Supportive Housing (FSH) Program provides intensive case management and service coordination to homeless families with children and helps house families through partnership with housing providers. The program's goal is to reduce the incidence and duration of homelessness through supports for families as they transition to and sustain permanent housing over time. Service coordination and case management focus on the root causes of a family's homelessness; promote resiliency for parents and their children; and help households build financial capability. FSH staff take a holistic, two-generation approach using non-judgmental, positive, and trauma-informed communication and engagement in their support of families.

Who We Serve

Families with children under the age of six who have had multiple episodes of homelessness or engagement with Family Services are prioritized for the program. OEO administers funding which supports Family Supportive Housing at seven community-based providers: Barre, Bennington, Brattleboro, Rutland, St. Johnsbury and White River Junction.

How We Impact

Service Coordinators provide customized home-based case management; financial empowerment coaching; life skills support and referrals; tenant education; parent and child resiliency support; and support of addiction recovery. FSH Service Coordinators align and coordinate these services with existing Agency of Human Services programs and initiatives.

Budget Information

What We Do

The BARJ program is an arm of the youth justice system that provides support to youth who are at-risk for involvement in the justice system, or have been adjudicated and may or may not be on probation with DCF - Family Services.  The primary goal of the BARJ program is to support youth involved in, or at risk of becoming involved in the justice system by providing restorative interventions that reduce or eliminate further involvement in the system.

Who We Serve

BARJ serves youth who are at risk of becoming involved with the justice system, have been adjudicated or truant from school.

How We Impact

The purpose of this contract is to provide restorative services that focus on accountability and competency development of the youth, and community safety, while including the victims and the community in repairing the harm caused.  The Balanced and Restorative Justice (BARJ) program is successful because it offers a variety of supports and services that vary depending on the individual needs of the youth and family.  The BARJ program works with youth to support them in:

• Building upon their protective factors; 
• Building upon their self-regulation in natural settings; and
• Not committing new offenses.

Budget Information

What We Do

Strengthening Families Child Care provides grants to 28 community child care programs throughout Vermont to ensure affordable access to high quality comprehensive early care and education and afterschool programs for children and families challenged by economic instability and other environmental risk factors.

Who We Serve

These grants serve:

• Children/families eligible for and participating in the CDD Child Care Financial Assistance Program (at least 25% of enrolled children).

• Children/families who are receiving specialized child care services: including children with an open case with the Family Services Division of the Department for Children and Families (including foster children), children in families participating in Reach Up, refugee children and teen parents.

How We Impact

The following impacts on intended by these grants:

• Documented use of the Center for Social Policy Strengthening Families Program Assessment tool through submission of outcomes and related program plan.
• Continuity of care improves as measured by attendance records and compared to participants in CCFAP including specialized care in other non Strengthening Families programs.
• 70% of parents report positive family experiences (protective factors) as part of their overall experience of having an enrolled child in the program.

Budget Information

What We Do

The Office of Child Support (OCS) helps to obtain financial support for families with children by:

1. Establishing, enforcing and modifying child support orders for children who do not live with both parents
2. Establishing and enforcing medical insurance provisions in court orders
3. Collecting, recording and distributing child support payments through the OCS Registry
4. Establishing parentage when children are born outside of marriage

Who We Serve

Populations served:

1. Parents entitled to medical and child support
2. Parents obligated to pay medical and child support
3. Guardians entitled to medical and child support
4. States seeking assistance in Vermont courts

How We Impact

The Office of Child Support improves the economic security of children and families in Vermont.

Vision:

Every child has the resources needed to be safe, secure, and stable.

Mission:

The Vermont Office of Child Support promotes the well-being of all families by strengthening their financial safety net.  We provide quality services and information to parents, caregivers, and community partners involved in the child support process.

Budget Information

What We Do

The HIV/STD/Hepatitis Program funds and supports programs that help people at risk for Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD):

• learn how to protect themselves from acquiring STDs and prevent their spread
• access appropriate STD testing
• access and adhere to treatments that can reduce symptoms, improve health, and reduce the risk of transmission

We work with medical providers to ensure that they are best able to perform appropriate STD testing and deliver the best treatment to their patients who are diagnosed with STDs.

Who We Serve

We serve people at risk for STDs and those with an STD diagnosis. Our prevention, testing and treatment programs benefit individuals, their families and all Vermonters.

How We Impact

• Support programs that target those at highest risk with prevention information and supplies
• Perform patient follow-up to ensure treatment success
• Assist patients in voluntary partner notification and partner testing or therapy access
• Work with medical providers to ensure appropriate testing guidelines and treatment strategies are followed
• Work with medical providers to reduce barriers to successful patient treatment access

Budget Information

What We Do

Vermont’s Emergency Medical Services system (EMS) is an integrated system for providing emergency medical treatment and transportation of sick and injured patients. EMS responds to medical emergencies every day and deliver medical care in many unique and oftentimes dangerous environments. There are nearly 180 ambulance and first responder agencies in the state, and most of our nearly 3,000 licensed EMS personnel are volunteers. The Vermont Department of Health Emergency Medical Services program (VTEMS) has been responsible for certifying emergency medical personnel, and licensing ambulance and first responder services since the early 1970s. VTEMS conducts investigations into complaints, criminal charges and convictions made against EMS personnel and services. VTEMS inspects ambulances to ensure they are safe and adequately equipped.  VTEMS is a clearinghouse for information on the EMS workforce to assist in the management of the EMS system and fulfill specific requests for resources. 

Who We Serve

The Vermont Office of Emergency Medical Services provides vital services to all Vermonters, including support for first responders and statewide incident reporting. We work in collaboration with our partners to provide programs, education, and initiatives for EMS personnel and agencies to expand their scope of practice, increase their volunteer ranks and become more engaged in their community. Vermont EMS is available to all citizens, 24 hours/day, 365 days/year, irrespective of location, health care problem, or ability to pay.

How We Impact

The Vermont Office of Emergency Medical Services works on behalf of all Vermonters to ensure that the EMS system is adequately equipped and prepared to provide the best out-of-hospital emergency care possible.

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What We Do

Family planning is one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century. A priority of the Vermont Department of Health is to increase the percent of pregnancies that are healthy and planned. The Division of Maternal and Child Health supports programs and initiatives that strengthen the system of family planning services in Vermont.

The Health Department administers the Title X Family Planning Services Program. This work is carried out in partnership with Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, and supports Title X services in 7 Planned Parenthood health centers across the state. The goal of Vermont's Title X program is to provide high quality clinical family planning and related preventive health services, education and counseling to Vermonters who would otherwise not have access, with a special focus on low-income populations.

Who We Serve

We work to ensure that Vermonters have access to quality family planning services, including services that support achieving a healthy pregnancy, preconception health care services, contraceptive services, and screening for and treating sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS.

How We Impact

Family planning helps individuals prevent unplanned pregnancy or achieve intended pregnancy. Family planning empowers individuals to exercise personal choice in the number and spacing of children they have – even if the choice is not to have children. Family planning contributes to improved health outcomes.

Budget Information

What We Do

Tobacco use is the number one preventable cause of death, but about 800 Vermonters still die each year from tobacco-related diseases.

Given the high level of morbidity and mortality related to tobacco use, three goals guide the work of the Tobacco Control Program: prevent youth smoking; reduce adult smoking; reduce exposure to second-hand-smoke. The Health Department Tobacco Control Program employs Centers for Disease Control and Prevention best practice in four key areas to address these goals:

• Cessation services help Vermonters quit smoking through the Quitline, Quit Partners, or Quit Online as part of 802Quits. These services are evidence-based and greatly increase the chances a smoker will quit successfully. The program also partners to provide nicotine replacement therapy
• Mass Reach Media, including hard-hitting ads, is shown to be effective in reaching those who smoke and inciting them to reach out to 802Quits. This includes television, radio, and social media efforts.
• State and community interventions raise awareness on the actions decision makers can take to reduce the toll of tobacco. These include educating decision makers about passing smoke-free policies at local parks and playgrounds, which reduce secondhand smoke exposure and create positive social norms around tobacco use, and changing the tobacco retail environment, where exposure to product and advertising causes youth tobacco initiation. The Vermont Department of Health and the Agency of Education fund two youth tobacco prevention groups – Our Voices Xposed (OVX) in high schools and Vermont Kids Against Tobacco (VKAT) in middle schools.
• Surveillance and evaluation ensure the program stays on track and uses data to drive programmatic decision making. The Tobacco Control Program invests in data collection, analysis, and dissemination to partners in and outside of government.

Who We Serve

The Tobacco Control Program is committed to serving all Vermonters seeking to reduce and quit their tobacco use. Some populations, including pregnant smokers, Medicaid-insured, those with mental illness or substance abuse disorders, less education, and lower income, are a focus of the Health Department. Additionally, supervisory unions with a higher burden of tobacco use are a targeted sector supported by this program. Tobacco use and the morbidity and mortality it causes disproportionally impact those with fewer resources and results in large health disparities.

How We Impact

By employing CDC Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs with fidelity, the work of the Tobacco Control Program and partners should, over time, impact the number of Vermonters who smoke and therefore reduce deaths from tobacco-related diseases. Quitting tobacco has beneficial short and long term health impacts no matter one’s age. Three behaviors - no physical activity, poor diet, and tobacco use - lead to cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and lung disease accounting for more than 50% of premature deaths in Vermont. Reaching Vermonters that want to quit and supplying the needed cessation support will reduce, over time, the number of Vermonters suffering and dying from chronic disease.

Budget Information

What We Do

The Department of Health Division of Substance Use Programs is made of many programmatic elements that collectively prevent and eliminate the problems caused by alcohol and drug misuse. Our mission is to prevent, reduce and eliminate the problems caused by alcohol and drug use.  Strategies used by the various substance use programs include education, prevention, treatment, and recovery. The programs also collaborate with healthcare providers, community partners, and people with lived experience to end stigma and increase opportunities for treatment and recovery. 

Some of the specific programs and activities, many of them jointly implemented with valuable partners, include:

• ParentUpVT
• Prevention Consultants
• Do Your Part
• Impaired Driver Rehabilitation Program
• Community Coalitions
• Hub & Spoke System of Care
• Recovery Centers
• School-based Substance Abuse Services

Who We Serve

We serve all Vermonters of all ages, not only those who are directly experiencing substance misuse or directly serving them. We provide prevention services to those of all ages, intervention services to those misusing substances, treatment services to those with substance use disorders, and recovery services to any Vermonter needing support to sustain healthy behaviors. We also support people, organizations, and entire communities working to reduce substance misuse in Vermont through funding, media and promotion campaigns, and coalition building.

How We Impact

Substance Use Programs:

• Improve access to prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery services to address substance use in Vermont.
• Increase understanding of substance use disorders.
• Employ evidence-based practices and strategies.
• Fund services, provide technical assistance and encourage collaboration in communities.

Together with population indicators, the following performance measures focus on whether Vermonters are better off as a result of this program. They do so by looking at the quality and efficiency of these programs and services.

Budget Information

This program includes the entire appropriation #342006000

Budget information

 Each Area Agency on Aging receives an annual $53,000 grant award.  The grant term is two years. 

What We Do

Vermont's Area Agencies on Aging build a coordinated response to self-neglect through a variety of activities.  These include raising awareness, providing education, training and case management to individuals considered self-neglecting. 

Who We Serve

Adults, 60 years and older, who can be described as self-neglecting.

How We Impact

The Area Agencies on Aging respond to self-neglect referrals and provide case management services to those who are identified as self-neglecting.  Case managers work with individuals who are self-neglecting to develop goals identified by the individual and by use of a risk and safety evaluation tool.  Goals may be related to food, shelter, medical/mental/financial health or in other areas.  To help achieve these goals community partners and resources are accessed and leveraged.  Where resources don't exist, the Area Agencies on Aging work to build awareness and capacity.

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What We Do

HomeShare Vermont provides screening, matching and ongoing support services for older Vermonters and Vermonters with disabilities who wish to continue living in their own homes (hosts), pairing them with others (guests) who are looking for affordable housing.  These matches allow people to remain at home and to receive help with yard work, light chores, homemaking services, transportation, or companionship in exchange for reduced rent from the guest. 

Who We Serve

HomeShare Vermont serves Vermonters who are looking to share housing for mutual benefit. Most people sharing their homes (hosts) are older Vermonters or Vermonters with disabilities.  People looking for housing (guests) are financially challenged by market rents or are in housing transitions.  HomeShare Vermont serves Chittenden, Addison, Franklin, Grand Isle, Washington, Orange, and Lamoille Counties. 

How We Impact

HomeShare Vermont:

• Helps make housing more affordable for Vermonters
• Helps older Vermonters and Vermonters with disabilities live in their own homes
• Helps improve the quality of life for homesharing participants, who report that they feel safer, less lonely, eat better, and feel healthier 

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What We Do

SASH coordinates the resources of social-service agencies, community health providers and nonprofit housing organizations to support Vermonters who choose to live independently at home. Individualized, on-site support is provided by a Wellness Nurse and a SASH Care Coordinator.

Who We Serve

SASH serves older adults as well as people with special needs who receive Medicare support. SASH touches the lives of approximately 4,500 people throughout Vermont.

How We Impact

Benefits to SASH Participants:

• Improved quality of life

• Comprehensive health and wellness assessments

• Individualized Healthy Living Plans

• Money savings through preventive health care

• Regular check-ins by caring staff

• Health coaching and access to wellness nurses

• Help in planning for successful transitions (e.g., following hospitalization), navigating long-term care options and during a crisis

• Access to prevention and wellness programs

• Support in self-managing medications

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What We Do

Survey and Certification (S&C) is the State Survey Agency for the State of Vermont. In this role, S&C licenses and certifies health care organizations to ensure that they meet minimum state and federal regulatory compliance.  S&C fulfills its mission by conducting unannounced, regular surveys at health care facilities, and investigating complaints made about the care received in these facilities.

Who We Serve

S&C provides balanced and assertive regulation of health care organizations to ensure that Vermonters receive care with dignity, respect, and independence.

How We Impact

S&C surveys and investigations can result in fines and other corrective action, including bans on admissions or revocation of operating licenses.

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What We Do

Division Philosophy

DVR's mission is to help Vermonters with disabilities prepare for, obtain, and maintain meaningful careers and to help employers recruit, train, retain and promote employees with disabilities. Consumer choice and self-direction are core values that drive DVR’s approach to providing services and developing new programs. DVR's ability to help jobseekers succeed also depends on clearly understanding needs of our other customer – employers. To that end, DVR plays an important facilitating role in Creative Workforce Solutions (CWS), an Agency of Human Services (AHS) initiative that builds on DVR’s initial employer outreach work.

Division Overview

The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation serves people with disabilities in Vermont who face barriers to employment. We help VR consumers figure out what work will work for them through careful assessment, counseling and guidance from our expert staff. We capitalize on our extensive networks in the employer community to create job opportunities and make good placements that match employer needs with jobseeker skills, and help employers retain staff with disabilities. We use our financial resources within Vermont communities to support our consumers as they transition to stable employment, and our employers as they try out new workers.

Who We Serve

The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation serves people with disabilities in Vermont who face barriers to employment.

How We Impact

Staff and Partners

DVR believes in collaborating with other service providers to reach people facing the greatest challenges to employment. As a result, DVR has created innovative partnerships to serve youth, offenders, veterans, people receiving public benefits, individuals with substance use disorders, and those who need ongoing support in order to work.

Recent Developments and Accomplishments

The Summer Career Exploration Program (SCEP): In 2021 DVR launched the Summer Career Exploration Program (SCEP). The SCEP was designed to provide high school students with disabilities paid summer work experiences combined with a career exploration curriculum. This is the first time DVR has implemented a summer employment program for students and planning had to start before COVID vaccines were available so it wasn't clear whether we would be able to conduct it in person. But engagement with work-based learning over the summer was a high priority after the disruptions of the pandemic year. Despite the challenges, district DVR teams created amazing opportunities for youth, while engaging employers who were facing their own challenges amid the pandemic.  DVR saw a need and committed to creating what became an outstanding experience for all involved. The following is a brief summary of the outcomes:  

• SCEP provided 144 students with a paid work experience with a local employer. 

• SCEP engaged 110 employers in providing work experiences for students.  

• SCEP included all students with disabilities, regardless of the level of support required for them to be successful.  

• 34 students were offered competitive employment after completing the SCEP program (23.6% of participants). 

DVR has already begun planning a SCEP for 2022. DVR will use lessons learned in the first year to enhance and improve the experience for future participants.  

Kessler Foundation Grant/WorkVT2.0: DVR was selected by the Kessler Foundation to receive a grant designed to improve employment prospects for DVR consumers who receive Social Security disability benefits (SSI and SSDI). Vermont was one of only 6 projects to be selected out of over 70 applications. The project provides an innovative combination of services and financial incentives to help beneficiaries obtain income sufficient enough to end their benefits. The project has two sites, one in Burlington and one in Rutland.  

DVR named the project WorkVT2.0 and began recruitment in March 2021 after a one-year delay due to COVID. As of September 30, 2021, over 50 beneficiaries have signed up to receive WorkVT2.0 services. The project is already showing some early successes with four participants working full time and no longer receiving SSI/SSDI benefits. Another sixteen participants have started working part time with the goal of increasing their hours and income over time.  

Future Directions

DVR is making a major effort to support consumer participation in post-secondary training leading to industry-recognized credentials in high demand fields. This is the most effective and efficient route to consumers achieving high quality and high wage employment. It is also aligns with employers’ needs for skilled workers. The following are major initiatives we are embarking on in 2022 to support this effort.  

The Vermont Career Advancement Project (VCAP): DVR was awarded a $6.5 million grant from the US Department of Education to support the Vermont Career Advancement Project (VCAP). VCAP will establish a robust partnership between DVR, the Vermont Department of Labor (VDOL), the Community College of Vermont (CCV), Vermont Technical College (VTC), and secondary Career and Technical Education Centers (CTEs), to build on-ramps enabling individuals with disabilities to pursue high quality, good paying careers. The project will embed dedicated Career Pathways Student Advisors in these post-secondary programs to provide intensive support for VCAP participants. VCAP will also partner with other work force development organizations to expand paid, credentialed, occupational training programs in response to employer needs.  

Utilizing the best available employment projections for high quality, high wage career pathway opportunities in Vermont, DVR identified the following five career sectors for the project: Advanced Manufacturing, Financial Services, Healthcare, Skilled Construction Trades, and Information Technology. VCAP will utilize its extensive network of employer contacts through its Business Account Managers to engage employers in offering opportunities in these sectors. CCV and VTC, which have program development experience and expertise, will provide the required Related Instruction for apprenticeships and other credentialed programs. These programs will be linked directly to secondary and adult programs offered through the State’s 17 Career and Technical Education (CTE) centers. The project will enroll 500 participants, with 375 earning Industry Recognized Credentials and 75 enrolling in Registered Apprenticeships. 75% of participants will exit their training programs employed and earning at least 150% of the state’s minimum wage.  

The Career Training Offset (CTO): DVR has long recognized that many of our consumers cannot participate in industry recognized credential training programs because they cannot afford to stop working. As a result, they remain in entry level employment without the training and skills to move up the career ladder. To address this issue, DVR implemented the Career Training Offset (CTO). DVR consumers participating in trainings that leads to an industry recognized credential, are paid minimum wage for classroom and unpaid instruction time. For example, an HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) program has approximately 144 hours of unpaid training time. DVR will pay the consumer minimum wage for these hours, to ensure they have a steady source of income while they get trained. The CTO was launched October 4th of 2021 and we expect it to have a significant impact. 

New Partnerships with Training Providers: DVR has always referred consumers to workforce training programs and provided financial support. This year DVR is entered into partnerships with of the following training providers to enroll cohorts of DVR consumers in credentialed training programs:  

• Resource Inc will provide 72 DVR consumers access to the following training programs: 

• Construction 101 which will lead to NCCER (National Center for Construction Education and Research), and OSHA 10 (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) certifications. 

• HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Airconditioning) which will lead to Natural Gas/LP EPA Class 1 and OSHA 10 certifications. 

• CLT (Certified Logistics Technician) which will lead to CLT and OSHA 10 certifications. 

• Vermont Adult Learning (VAL) will provide DVR consumers training and certifications in weatherization and green energy. 

DVR also plans to create new workforce training partnerships with CCV and VT Technical College during 2022 and 2023.  

Programs and Services

Vocational Rehabilitation Services: DVR services to jobseekers are tailored to the person and driven by his or her own interests, job goals and needs. Each person meets regularly with his or her VR counselor, who helps to develop an Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) and manages the services and supports needed to realize the person’s career goals. The core services of vocational assessment, counseling and guidance, job training, and job placement provided by DVR staff and partners are enhanced with a range of purchased services and supports.

Placement Services: DVR counselors benefit from dedicated Employment Consultants who provide job development, job placement, and workplace supports to help people find and keep jobs. DVR has longstanding partnerships with Designated and Specialized Services Agencies (DAs and SSAs) to provide supported employment services to people with significant disabilities. DVR also has an ongoing partnership with the Vermont Association of Business, Industry, and Rehabilitation (VABIR) to provide employment services to DVR customers.

Budget information

What We Do

The Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired (DBVI) is the designated state unit to provide vocational rehabilitation and independent living services to eligible Vermonters who are blind and visually impaired. DBVI's Mission is to support the efforts of Vermonters who are blind and visually impaired to achieve or sustain their economic independence, self reliance, and social integration to a level consistent with their interests, abilities and informed choices.

Who We Serve

DBVI serves Vermonters who are blind and visually impaired.

How We Impact

DBVI supports Vermonters who are blind and visually impaired to achieve or sustain their economic independence, self reliance, and social integration to a level consistent with their interests, abilities and informed choices.

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What We Do

The Vermont Brain Injury Program supports Vermonters with a moderate to severe brain injury, diverting or helping them return from hospitals and rehabilitation facilities to a community-based setting. This program is focused on rehabilitation and driven by participant choice, supporting individuals to achieve their optimum level of independence and to return to work.

Who We Serve

The Vermont Brain Injury Program serves Medicaid eligible Vermonters with a moderate to severe brain injury.

How We Impact

The Vermont Brain Injury Program helps Medicaid eligible Vermonters with moderate to severe brain injuries to achieve their optimum level of independence and to return to work.

Budget information

In addition, each school district listed above contributes a per pupil tuition via Special Education funding which, in collaboration with the DAIL budget, covers the expense of the program.

What We Do

Project SEARCH prepares student-interns during their last year of high school or transition age adults with technical skills taught through several training rotations within a host business which lead to competitive employment upon high school graduation.

Who We Serve

Transition age youth age 18 to 26 who are eligible for developmental disabilities services.

How We Impact

The Project SEARCH model assures a smooth transition into the Vermont workforce for transition age youth by providing marketable technical skills and person-centered job placement.

Budget Information

What We Do

Facility (Incarceration) Statuses:

• Sentenced Statuses:

  • Sentenced: convicted of crime(s)

  • Sentenced/Detained: convicted of crime(s) and held pre-trial for other crime(s)

  • Sentenced W/Hold: convicted of crime(s) and held for US Marshals or other jurisdiction

  • Sentenced/Detained W/Hold: (rare) convicted of crime(s), held pre-trial for other crime(s), and held for US Marshals or other jurisdiction

• Detained Statuses:
  • Detained: awaiting adjudication for crime(s)
  • Detained W/Hold: awaiting adjudication for crime(s) and held for US Marshals or other jurisdiction
• Hold Status:
  • Hold: held for US Marshals or other jurisdiction

Field (Community Supervision) Statuses:

Furlough:

• Community Supervision Furlough (primary furlough status): At the completion of the minmum term of sentence, the incarcerated individual may be released to the community under conditions of furlough.
• Treatment Furlough:  A status for an individual who is participating in an approved residential treatment program outside of a correctional facility.
• Medical Furlough:  A status for an individual who is diagnosed with a terminal or debilitating condition.  The individual may be released to a hospital, hospice, or other licensed inpatient facility, or other housing accommodation deemed suitable by the Commissioner.
• Pre-Approved Furlough: Sentenced to confinement with prior approval of the Commissioner of Corrections, the individual is eligible for immmediate release on furlough. Furlough status is a community placement, but with more stsringent rules for behavior. Conditions of release typically contain treatment or community work crew.
• Home Detention: A program of confinement and supervision that restricts an unsentenced defendant to a pre-approved residence continuously, except for authorized absences, and is enforced by appropriate means of surveillance and electronic monitoring by the DOC.

Parole:  The release of an incarcerated individual to the community before the end of their sentence subject to conditions imposed by the Parole Board and subject to the supervision and control of the Commissioner of Corrections. Includes:

• Interstate Commission for Adult Offender Supervision ("ICOTS"): An individual may be transferred to another state via the New England Interstate Corrections Compact, the Interstate Corrections Compact, and the Federal Beareau of Prisons contract at the discretion of the Commissioner/Designee when the classification process has determined out of state placement is appropriate.
• Supervised Community Sentence: Based on a law passed in 1990, the judge sentences, with prior approval of the Commissioner of Corrections, to a set of conditions, minimum and maximum time frames and an intermediate sanctions program under teh supervision of the Department of Corrections. The Parole Board is the appointed authority and violations are resolved through a Parole Hearing.

Probation:   An individual found guilty of a crime upon verdict or plea, is released by the court without confinement, subject to the conditions and supervision by the Commissioner of Corrections.  This is a contract between the individual and the court, to abide by conditions in return for the court not imposing a sentence of confinement.  Violation of this sanction requires due process, with a court hearing, counsel, and preponderance of evidence.  Within the probation sanction is the reparative probation program, which allows citizens on community panels to determine the quality of restitution made to the victim and repair of harm to the community, consistent with 28 VSA Chapter 12.

Work Crew: Individuals may work without pay and participate on a service team as a way of making amends to the community for criminal conduct.

Who We Serve

The DOC serves the community as a partner in prevention, research, management, and intervention of criminal behavior.  The DOC operates correctional facilities in: Newport, Rutland, South Burlington, Springfield, St. Albans, and St. Johnsbury.

How We Impact

The DOC, in partnership with the community, supports safe communities by providing leadership in crime prevention, repairing the harm done, addressing the needs of crime victims, ensuring individual accountability for criminal acts, and managing the risk posed by individuals under supervision. The DOC performs an important role in the State’s response to crime, individuals under supervision, and victims. It is a unified system of 6 correctional facilities and 12 field offices geographically spread across the state. This structure greatly enhances the ability to implement systemic changes that are evidence-based and focus on best practices for successful reentry. Correctional facilities implement programs that provide custodial confinement of frequent, dangerous individuals, and also have a primary objective to prepare offenders for their responsible roles in the community upon release.

Correctional facilities utilize the supporting resources of probation and parole services. Additionally, the VTDOC is located within the Agency of Human Services (AHS) and draws upon the resources housed with AHS to support its mission.  AHS has the widest reach in state government and a critical mission: to improve the conditions and well-being of Vermonters and protect those who cannot protect themselves. 

Budget Information

What We Do

The DOC is responsible for ensuring healthcare is provided to incarcerated individuals as guaranteed by the 8th Amendment of the United States Constitution, required by state law, and in compliance with the National Commisson for Correctional Healthcare (NCCHC) standards for ongoing accreditation. The DOC Health Services Division (HSD) oversees a comprehensive health services program defined as an integrated, holistic system of care that includes but is not limited to medical, mental health, substance abuse, dental, vision, on-site and off-site specialty, pharmacy, care coordination, and emergency services. Comprehensive health services shall be provided to incarcerated individuals housed at any Vermont DOC facility throughout the state. In addition, the Vermont DOC system is designed to provide the prevailing Vermont standard of healthcare to all incarcerated individuals up to hospital level of care. When hospital level of care and or specialty care is medically necessary, individuals are taken to the community-based hospital or specialist that can best address their needs.

To accomplish this, the DOC partners with:

• Other departments within Vermont's Agency of Human Services (AHS) including Department of Mental Health (DMH), Department of Aging and Independent Living (DAIL), Department of Vermont Health Access (DHVA), and Vermont Department of Health (VDH).
• Community-based organizations including Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), Vermonts Opioid Use Disorder Treatment System "hubs and spokes," Designated Agencies (DAs), Specialized Services Agencies (SSAs), Vermont Chronic Care Initiative (VCCI), Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (PPNNE), Prisoners' Rights Office (PRO), Disability Rights Vermont (DRVT), Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform (VCJR), and Vermont Information Technology Leaders (VITL).
• Other local health systems including the University of Vermont Medical Center and Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.
• The Vermont Program for Quality in Health Care (VPQHC).​​​​​​​

Who We Serve

Comprehensive health services are provided to all individuals housed in Vermont's correctional facilities regardless of legal status.

How We Impact

Comprehensive health services provided in Vermont correctional facilities are designed to achieve high standards regarding the following factors:

• Continuity of care - Providing ongoing and uninterrupted treatment for individuals that are admitted to and released from DOC facilities
• Data collection, analysis, and sharing - Collecting, analyzing, and monitoring individual and system health data to achieve transparency, establish accountability, and improve performance
• Quality of Care - Improving care and outcomes through Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) including regular audting, reviews of sentinel events, and performance-based indicators
• Financial management - Ensuring best use of public funding

Budget Information

What We Do

The Parole Board is an autonomous body that is included in the Corrections appropriation for administrative purposes. The Board reviews referrals by the DOC for individuals incarcerated or on community supervision furlough who are eligible for parole consideration to include initial eligibility hearings, presumptive parole administrative reviews, or subsequent reviews. The Board reviews all requests to address allegations of violation of conditions of parole supervision through a reprimand hearing or a formal violation hearing. The Board reviews requests for condition modifications, parole rescission, or early discharge. In addition, the Parole Board is responsible for reviewing all individuals placed on Supervised Community Supervision (SCS) at the expiration of their minimum sentence to determine if the individual should be discharged or to continue the individual on SCS. The Board is also responsible for reviewing all requests to address violation of conditions for individuals on SCS.

Who We Serve

The Parole Board serves the community by rendering just decisions by balancing victim needs, the risk to public safety, while promoting offender accountability success.

How We Impact

The Parole Board works in partnership with the DOC to comply with the principle that placement of offenders should be in the least restrictive environment consistent with public safety and offense severity. The Board’s implementation of evidence-based decision making and conditioning contributes to achieving this principle.

Budget Information

What We Do

Facility (Incarceration) Statuses:

• Sentenced Statuses:

  • Sentenced: convicted of crime(s)

  • Sentenced/Detained: convicted of crime(s) and held pre-trial for other crime(s)

  • Sentenced W/Hold: convicted of crime(s) and held for US Marshals or other jurisdiction

  • Sentenced/Detained W/Hold: (rare) convicted of crime(s), held pre-trial for other crime(s), and held for US Marshals or other jurisdiction

• Detained Statuses:
  • Detained: awaiting adjudication for crime(s)
  • Detained W/Hold: awaiting adjudication for crime(s) and held for US Marshals or other jurisdiction
• Hold Status:
  • Hold: held for US Marshals or other jurisdiction

Field (Community Supervision) Statuses:

Furlough:

• Community Supervision Furlough (primary furlough status): At the completion of the minmum term of sentence, the incarcerated individual may be released to the community under conditions of furlough.
• Treatment Furlough:  A status for an individual who is participating in an approved residential treatment program outside of a correctional facility.
• Medical Furlough:  A status for an individual who is diagnosed with a terminal or debilitating condition.  The individual may be released to a hospital, hospice, or other licensed inpatient facility, or other housing accommodation deemed suitable by the Commissioner.
• Pre-Approved Furlough: Sentenced to confinement with prior approval of the Commissioner of Corrections, the individual is eligible for immmediate release on furlough. Furlough status is a community placement, but with more stsringent rules for behavior. Conditions of release typically contain treatment or community work crew.
• Home Detention: A program of confinement and supervision that restricts an unsentenced defendant to a pre-approved residence continuously, except for authorized absences, and is enforced by appropriate means of surveillance and electronic monitoring by the DOC.

Parole:  The release of an incarcerated individual to the community before the end of their sentence subject to conditions imposed by the Parole Board and subject to the supervision and control of the Commissioner of Corrections. Includes:

• Interstate Commission for Adult Offender Supervision ("ICOTS"): An individual may be transferred to another state via the New England Interstate Corrections Compact, the Interstate Corrections Compact, and the Federal Beareau of Prisons contract at the discretion of the Commissioner/Designee when the classification process has determined out of state placement is appropriate.
• Supervised Community Sentence: Based on a law passed in 1990, the judge sentences, with prior approval of the Commissioner of Corrections, to a set of conditions, minimum and maximum time frames and an intermediate sanctions program under teh supervision of the Department of Corrections. The Parole Board is the appointed authority and violations are resolved through a Parole Hearing.

Probation:   An individual found guilty of a crime upon verdict or plea, is released by the court without confinement, subject to the conditions and supervision by the Commissioner of Corrections.  This is a contract between the individual and the court, to abide by conditions in return for the court not imposing a sentence of confinement.  Violation of this sanction requires due process, with a court hearing, counsel, and preponderance of evidence.  Within the probation sanction is the reparative probation program, which allows citizens on community panels to determine the quality of restitution made to the victim and repair of harm to the community, consistent with 28 VSA Chapter 12.

Work Crew: Individuals may work without pay and participate on a service team as a way of making amends to the community for criminal conduct.

Who We Serve

The DOC serves the community as a partner in prevention, research, management, and intervention of criminal behavior.

The DOC currently has probation and parole offices in the following locations: Barre, Bennington, Brattleboro, Burlington, Hartford, Middlebury, Morrisville, Newport, Rutland, St. Albans, St. Johnsbury, and Springfield.

How We Impact

Community supervision of individuals is managed by 12 field probation and parole offices throughout the state. Supervision practices are based on research and the availability of resources. DOC structures supervision intensity based on the individual’s risk to re-offend and the severity of the offense. The foundations of effective supervision are quality risk assessment and the application of appropriate supervision services.  It is the implementation of purposeful interventions and activities that distinguishes supervision from mere monitoring and reporting of an individual's activities. Research has demonstrated that to reduce recidivism and obtain positive results from community supervision, combining risk control and risk reduction strategies is far more effective than selecting one strategy over the other. Risk control strategies are directed at deterring future non-compliance by holding individuals accountable through reprimands. Risk reduction strategies are directed at promoting future compliance by assisting the individual through information, education/training, counseling, programming, treatment, or other needs-reducing services to bring about positive changes in the circumstances that led to the non-compliant behavior. DOC implementation of evidence based practices contributes to successful completion of an individual's sentence with goal of reducing future criminal behavior.

Budget Information

*FY22 and FY23 Budgets include Community Justice Centers and VNADSV.

What We Do

Through grants to community partners, the DOC supports the provision of transitional housing, rental assistance, housing search and retention, and other supportive services for individuals released to the community from Vermont's correctional facilities. The primary purposes of the program are to:

1. Promote housing stability of individuals returning to the community from incarceration;
2. Supervise and support individuals in the least restrictive environment (conducive with public safety); and
3. Provide opportunities for reintegration and connections to community and services.

With a safe, stable place to live, participants are able to find employment, engage in substance abuse and mental health treatment, pursue education or training opportunities, and connect to services that will support their long-term stability in the community. 

Who We Serve

Priority is given to individuals being released to the community from incarceration, as well as individuals who are supervised in the community and are at risk of being (re)incarcerated due to lack of appropriate and stable housing. Most participants are on furlough/conditional reentry status, and all participants are under some level of Department of Corrections (DOC) supervision.

The individuals we serve have multiple and complex needs often related to mental health, substance abuse, employment, transportation, rental history (or lack thereof), and education, just to name a few.

How We Impact

The DOC works in partnership with Designated Agencies, Public Housing Authorities, Community Justice Centers, affordable housing providers, private landlords, municipalities, and non-profit organizations. 

To gauge whether participants are "Better Off" after having participated in transitional housing programs, we measure the following:

• % who were not charged with a new crime while in the program;
• % of participants who were employed, enrolled in an educational or training program, or receiving benefits (TANF, SSI, VA, General Assistance, etc.) at exit; and
• # (and %) who exited to permanent housing (included in this report).

Additionally, program activities support community connections and integration.

Budget Information

What We Do

Who We Serve

Risk Intervention Services includes Behavior and Life Skill Interventions, Corrections Education and Vermont Correctional Industries. The data in this section are the programming component. Corrections Education and Vermont Correctional Industries are captured in subsequent sections. Criteria for mandated facility RIS programming is that offenders must have listed violent offense, be assessed moderate to high risk on a risk assessment and have adequate sentence structure to complete services. Services are comprised of evidenced based manualized curricula addressing multiple criminogenic needs and are delivered in group modality. Each curriculum is delivered in two weekly sessions in twelve-week quarters. Participants participate in two to three curricula per week for a minimum of six months.

How We Impact

Budget Information

What We Do

The purpose of risk intervention services is to increase public safety by providing services which reduce the risk of an individual committing a new crime. Research demonstrates that services which adhere to risk, need and responsivity (RNR) principles have the greatest impact on reducing recidivism. The effects of services are most profound when applied to those who have the higher risk of recidivism and focus upon the dynamic risk factors which are correlated with the risk of recidivism, are responsive to the capacities of the offender and use evidence-based modalities with fidelity.

Who We Serve

Risk Intervention Services- Corrections Education serves incarcerated individuals with a focus on the sentenced population. Services are delivered to both voluntary students and those students identified as priority for Risk Reduction Programming who are scheduled for release from incarceration.

How We Impact

Corrections Education offers incarcerated adults the opportunity to work on developing basic and living skills necessary to be successful in the community and to develop as a learner. By working with the Risk Reduction Programming Intervention staff we assist students in learning cognitive and educational skills that address their specific criminogenic needs. Our high school program offers an accredited high school education, and our students receive the same level of diploma as their peers. Our high school program, Community High School of Vermont, meets the educational standards set by the Vermont Board of Education. For incarcerated individuals needing to brush up their skills for employment, or who are interested in getting certified with Industry Recognized Credentials, or taking a Community College of Vermont (CCV) or University of Vermont (UVM) course, we offer our workforce readiness program. Workforce Readiness is designed for students who have or are close to achieving their high school diploma and is designed to meet Vermont’s workforce needs. Working with our peers in Vermont Correctional Industries (VCI) we can offer both classroom and on the job experience.

Budget Information

What We Do

Who We Serve

Risk Intervention Services includes Behavior and Life Skill Interventions, Corrections Education and Vermont Correctional Industries. The data in this section are Vermont Correcitonal Industries section. Vermont Correctional Industries provides sentenced incarcerated indivdiuals who are moderate to high risk an opportunity to improve their vocational and workforce readiness. Individuals apply for open positions in one or more of the industustries and applications are reviewed by a local team comprised of VCI Program Coordinator, Facility Security, and Facility Case Work. 

How We Impact

What We Do

The Department of Mental Health is a major partner in the Agency of Human Services Integrating Family Services initiative. IFS brings together different programs and funding streams within AHS to create a single, flexible service delivery and payment system for services and supports to children, youth and their families so that practice and planning better match their needs.

DMH has two participating providers: Counseling Services of Addison County (CSAC) and Northeast Counseling and Support Services (NCSS). These providers work with the Parent Child Centers in their respective regions.

Who We Serve

This initiative provides supports and services to children, youth and families (prenatal to age 22).

How We Impact

Bringing these programs and funding streams together the following performance measures focus on whether Vermonters are better off as a result of this initiative. They do so by looking at the quality and efficiency of these programs and services.

Budget Information

Budget description: Childrens Community Services to include Emergency Services, Childrens case rates, peer services and Misc. Grants

What We Do

The Child, Youth, and Family programs provided at Vermont's Designated Agencies help individuals and their families to develop skills and supports important to living the life they want for themselves.

Who We Serve

Children and adolescents with or at risk for a serious emotional disturbance. These services are for any child, adolescent, or family seeking support. Most of these services are now part of the children's mental health bundled case rate payment system.  This does not include Success Beyond 6 or Integrating Family Services Regions.

How We Impact

Together the following performance measures focus on whether Vermonters are better off as a result of this program. They do so by looking at the quality and efficiency of these programs and services.

Budget Information

Budget description: Childrens Community Services to include Emergency Services, Childrens case rates, peer services and Misc. Grants

What We Do

Success Beyond Six (SB6) has three main programs [1) School-Based Clinical Services, 2) School-Based Behavioral Services, and 3) Concurrent Education Rehabilitation and Treatment (CERT)] with each program being grounded in trauma-informed practices and evidence-based approaches. Additionally, these programs operate with a focus on working with students in the context of their family, community, and in collaboration with other system partners. Utilizing SB6 programs allows Vermont schools to bring expertise in mental health practice to school-based teams while also providing the additional structure of clinical supervision, administrative support for billing and reporting, ability to link with other state designated agency services, and oversight and accountability to the State.

Who We Serve

SB6 Programs support the following populations of Vermont students:

• Medicaid-enrolled students with mental health concerns
• School-wide efforts for mental health and wellness within a multi-tiered system of support
• Students in Special Education who have an emotional disability
• Students in Special Education who have intensive needs on the autism spectrum

How We Impact

Overall, the SB6 Programs focus on the outcome measure of whether Vermonters are better off as a result of these programs. The goal of SB6 is to deliver comprehensive mental health supports effectively to Vermont students, so they can be available to learn to their highest potential.

Budget Information

DMH Program Budget (Summary Level)

What We Do

The Community Rehabilitation and Treatment (CRT) programs provided at Vermont's Designated Agencies help individuals and their families to develop skills and supports important to living the life they want for themselves.

Who We Serve

Vermont’s Community Rehabilitation and Treatment (CRT) programs assist adults that have been diagnosed with a severe and persistent mental illness. Symptoms may be mild or substantially disabling, and long-term or short term.

How We Impact

Together the following performance measures focus on whether Vermonters are better off as a result of this program. They do so by looking at the quality and efficiency of these programs and services.

Budget Information

Budget Description: Adult Services to include Emergency Services Investment, CRT (all expenses), Adult Case Rate, Homeless, MISC Adult Grants, Emergency Outreach, Case Management, Workforce Training, Forensic System of Care

What We Do

The Middlesex Therapeutic Community Residence (MTCR) is a seven-bed secure residential facility designed to provide a community-based aftercare option for people who are ready to discharge from a psychiatric hospital but still require considerable support in their recovery process. MTCR staff believes in a holistic approach to mental health and wellness, as well as encourages its residents to collaborate with their treatment team in creating a strengths-based, recovery focused plan to address individual challenges and goals. 

Who We Serve

The MTCR serves adults (18 years and older) with severe mental illness. Individuals can be referred to MTCR from either an inpatient psychiatric hospital or from a correctional facility and are required to be on an Order of Non-Hospitalization after having been found by the court to need a secure setting. If an individual is not already enrolled in a Community Rehabilitation and treatment (CRT) program through their local Designated Agency (DA), they will be referred to their local program upon discharge.

How We Impact

MTCR provides a safe and supportive environment for individuals who no longer require a high-level of care (e.g., hospital-level care) but are not yet ready to return to their communities. MTCR provides therapeutic supports focused on recovery and skill-building, in order to develop or regain independent-living skills. MTCR emphasizes the importance of re-integrating into the community and supports individuals with re-establishing connections within these communities. By supporting the development of these connections, MTCR staff focuses on providing the tools necessary for a successful transition back to an individual's community and avoid re-hospitalization. Without this step-down level of care, many individuals may experience an abrupt transition and have increased difficulty moving through the system of care, which can contribute to individuals having to remain in hospitals for an extended and unnecessary amount of time.

Budget Information

Budget description: DMH Run Secure Residential (MTCR/RVTR)

What We Do

The Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital provides excellent care and treatment in a recovery-oriented, safe, respectful environment that promotes empowerment, hope and quality of life for the individuals it serves.

Who We Serve

The Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital (VPCH) serves adults who require a hospital level of care and who are held involuntarily by a civil or a forensic order. VPCH is considered a Level 1 inpatient facility, meaning it serves those who are highly acute and require additional services and supports.

How We Impact

Together the following performance measures focus on whether Vermonters are better off as a result of this program. They do so by looking at the quality and efficiency of these programs and services.

Budget Information

DMH Program budget (summary level)

What We Do

The Adult Mental Health (AOP) program serves adults experiencing mental health challenges. The array of services available for people in the AOP program vary by DA and may include: 

• clinical assessment
• service planning and coordination
• community supports
• individual, group, and/or family therapy
• medication evaluation and management, and consultation with primary care
• emergency care and crisis stabilization
• psychoeducation/recovery education

Who We Serve

Any adult (18+ years old) is eligible to receive adult outpatient (AOP) supports and services.

How We Impact

Together the following performance measures focus on whether Vermonters are better off as a result of this program. They do so by looking at the quality and efficiency of these programs and services.

Budget Information

Budget Description: Adult Services to include Emergency Services Investment, CRT (all expenses), Adult Case Rate, Homeless, MISC Adult Grants, Emergency Outreach, Case Management, Workforce Training, Forensic System of Care

What We Do

Emergency (or Crisis) Services are time-limited, intensive supports provided for individuals and families who are currently experiencing, or may be expected to experience, a psychological, behavioral, or emotional crisis.  Services may also be provided to the individual's or family's immediate support system. These services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Who We Serve

Any person in Vermont is eligible to receive support through the Emergency Services (ES) program.

How We Impact

Together the following performance measures focus on whether Vermonters are better off as a result of this program. They do so by looking at the quality and efficiency of these programs and services.

Budget Information

There is no budget information specific to Emergency Services. It is emeshed in the following budgets:

• Suicide Prevention
• Childrens Community Services to include Emergency Services, Childrens case rates, peer services and Misc. Grants
• Adult Services to include Emergency Services Investment, CRT (all expenses), Adult Case Rate, Homeless, MISC Adult Grants, Emergency Outreach, Case Management, Workforce Training, Forensic System of Care

Budget Information

Appropriation ID - 15000 Global Commitment

What We Do

The DVHA strives towards the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s “Triple AIM":

• Improving the patient experience of care (including quality and satisfaction)
• Improving the health of populations
• Reducing the per capita cost of healthcare

One of the strategies the DVHA has adopted to move towards the “Triple AIM” is utilization management of our most intensive and high-cost services, which include inpatient psychiatric hospitalization. Inpatient psychiatric services, which include detoxification, are paid on a per day basis, unlike hospitalization on traditional medical inpatient units. This per day payment methodology has the potential to create a dis-incentive for providers to make efficient use of this high cost, most restrictive level of care. While CRT members’ hospital costs are included in their case rate payment to the Designated Agencies (DAs), which creates an incentive for the DAs to work efficiently with the inpatient units to transition their members back to their existing community services and supports, no such incentives exists for children or non-CRT enrolled adults.

Partners

• Department of Mental Health Adult and Children and Families Units,
• Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living,
• Department for Children and Families,
• Integrated Family Services,
• Designated Hospitals,
• Designated Agencies,
• Special Service Agencies,
• Vermont Chronic Care Initiative

How We Impact

Historically, as a part of an acute care management program that was developed in response to the 1115b Waiver, children’s inpatient admissions at the Brattleboro Retreat were managed through a concurrent review process, however this oversight ended in late 2006 and during this “unmanaged” period the average length of stay and inpatient costs grew substantially. In 2010 the Department of Vermont Health Access began a utilization management (UM) system for children and adolescents, adults ages 18-22 admitted to the Brattleboro Retreat, and all adults admitted to out of state facilities. In 2011, the DVHA added inpatient detoxification admissions and adult psychiatric admissions (excluding CRT and Involuntary) to the UM program. In 2012 the Department of Mental Health (DMH) and the Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA) collaborated to create a unified utilization management system for all Medicaid funded inpatient psychiatric and detoxification services. The goals for the utilization management system are as follows:

- Clinical care is provided only as long as necessary for safety and/or other acute needs.

- There are standardized criteria for admission, continued stay and discharge throughout the system of care.

- Care is continuous between the ongoing community treatment teams and episodes of inpatient or residential care. Ideally the hospital or residential facility and community teams develop and share a common treatment plan developed in partnership with the individual and their family, beginning within 24 hours of admission.

- Resources of the public system are effectively and efficiently used.

- The system of care will ensure access to effective, appropriate, recovery-based services that promote an individual’s health, wellness and resiliency and will support successful integration into the community.

Collaboration between VCCI and DVHA utilization review staff helps ensure timely communication with inpatient facilities and supports beneficiaries being able to successfully re-integrate with outpatient supports and services.Collaboration between DVHA and DMH UR staff and DCF, DAIL and DMH adult Care Managers and DMH CAFU Care Managers helps to ensure that active and appropriate aftercare planning is facilitated between the Designated Hospitals and the outpatient providers, this allows for aftercare services to be in place and ready to receive beneficiaries as soon as they are ready to be discharged and return to their communities. Our Agency partners are also invaluable in holding their preferred providers accountable to the tenets of the “Triple AIM”.

Together the following performance measures focus on whether Vermonters are better off as a result of this program. They do so by looking at the quality and efficiency of these programs and services.

Budget Information

What We Do

The Vermont Blueprint for Health is a state-led, nationally-recognized initiative that helps health care providers meet the medical and social needs of people in their communities. The Blueprint’s aim is constant: better care, better health, and better control of health care costs.

The Blueprint encourages initiatives to support and improve health care delivery. It promotes innovative initiatives aimed at improving health outcomes, increasing preventive health approaches, addressing quality of life concerns, and increasing access to quality care through patient-centered medical homes and community health teams.

Who We Serve

The Vermont Blueprint for Health serves all Vermonters.

How We Impact

The activities of the Blueprint serve as the foundation for strengthening primary care and expanding the ACO programs. This initiative is especially focused on building the links between community and medical services, so that patients have better coordinated care across the spectrum of services.

Together the following performance measures focus on whether Vermonters are better off as a result of this program. They do so by looking at the quality and efficiency of these programs and services.

Budget Information

What We Do

The Vermont Chronic Care Initiative (VCCI) provides holistic, intensive and short-term case management services to Vermont residents enrolled in Medicaid, including dually eligible members. VCCI works with non- ACO members identified using claims-based methodology and members identified by health care providers and community partners in need of complex care management. VCCI case managers are also welcoming new members to Medicaid, by outreaching and asking questions about primary care provider, health conditions and other supports that would assist them in maintaining or improving their health as well as housing, food and safety. The VCCI team works to connect members with medical homes, community-based self- management programs, and local care management teams.

The VCCI utilizes common tools and processes adopted by the local community care teams as part of the complex care model to include eco mapping, identification of lead care coordinator, facilitating care teams, and shared care plan development.

Licensed case managers trained in the complex care model, deliver services in communities throughout the state.

How We Impact

The VCCI case managers are community based; and are stationed within the communities they live in. They work closely with their community health care and social service providers; collaboratively working with each other and the member on the member identified priorities. The case managers are closely linked with their AHS Field Directors – which has proven vital when working with members that may be involved with DCF, DOC, DMH, DAIL, and VDH. VCCI case managers meet with members in varied locations- homes, PCP offices, homeless camps, hospitals, shelters- successfully engaging members that have been historically ‘hard to find’.

Budget Information

Appropriation IDs - 15000 Global Commitment and 18000 Non-Waiver

What We Do

The ABA Scorecard presents data and information regarding the implementation and performance of the autism benefit coverage.

Who We Serve

Vermont Medicaid beneficiaries

Budget Information

Appropriation IDs - 15000 Global Commitment, 17000 State-Only, and 18000 Non-Waiver

What We Do

Vermont Medicaid offers dental programs for both children (through Dr. Dynasaur) and adults. Dental coverage for children under Dr. Dynasaur is a robust benefit that includes the dental services necessary to prevent disease and promote oral health, restore oral structures to health and function, and treat emergency conditions.

The Agency of Human Services (AHS) made the following changes to the Medicaid adult dental benefit effective January 1, 2020.
•Increased the annual maximum dollar limit on adult dental services from $510 to $1,000.
•Allowed up to two visits for preventive services per calendar year that do not count towards the $1000 annual maximum dollar limit and removing copayments from preventive dental services listed below, including D0120 Periodic Oral Exam.

These changes are a result of Act 72 enacted during the 2019 legislative session. The changes are intended to expand adult Medicaid beneficiaries’ access to dental care and encourage the utilization of preventive dental care. These changes apply to Medicaid beneficiaries age 21 and older, who are not pregnant or in the postpartum period.

Codes for preventive services outside of the annual maximum dollar amount include:

Who We Serve

Vermont Medicaid beneficiaries