The legislative session is now in full swing. The House and Senate should finalize the Budget Adjustment Act this week. The House Appropriations Committee is actively debating the SFY23 budget, and policy committees in both bodies are taking up a variety of initiatives related to health care reform,…
I’m don’t usually make New Year resolutions, largely because I’m not a big fan of resolutions. The growth and change I’ve seen in myself has always come from taking a small step in the right direction, and then another, and then another. If I do anything in January, I’ll choose one habit to work on —something…
This year’s Budget Adjustment Act (BAA) is more important to home health and hospice agencies than usual. Every year, the Administration brings a proposal to legislators in January to make adjustments to the state budget based on actual spending and any unexpected needs that have come up. January is…
VNAs of Vermont executive director Jill Olson Is featured in a new documentary sponsored by the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems, which will air on Vermont PBS on December 2, 2021 at 8 p.m. Though Vermont is going through a tough time with COVID cases as of this writing, our response…
The Vermont Legislature has adjourned for the second time in a year—the first being last Fall, when they finished up the extra-long 2020 session. While the session that began in January was an average length, it was far from ordinary, as legislators were largely working remotely. Despite the distance…
Last week, the Vermont homebound vaccination partnership between home health agencies and EMS was poised to cross the 3,000 mark for first doses. More than half of those homebound Vermonters have also received their second dose. This effort is a national model that has brought relief and protection to…
This week, the VNAs of Vermont is publishing our annual Crossover Report. Every year, mid-March marks a critical juncture in the legislative process known as Crossover. Generally, bills that haven’t made it out of committee by crossover are unlikely to made it over the legislative finish line. There…
ARPA
The recently-passed federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) provides a substantial opportunity to support the Choices for Care program. It provides for a 10-point bump in the federal matching rate for home and community-based services like the Choices for Care program beginning April 1. The law…
Over the last several weeks, the focus of the vaccination rollout effort has shifted from the health care workforce to Vermonters aged 75 and up. With that shift comes a new challenge for home health and hospice agencies, which have a critical role to play in this effort. All over Vermont, agencies are…
November is home care and hospice month, a time to celebrate the work of home health and hospice agencies. Usually it’s an opportunity to remind the public about the critical role home health and hospice agencies play in “normal” times—providing high quality health care at home, preserving the independence…
The legislative session is now in full swing. The House and Senate should finalize the Budget Adjustment Act this week. The House Appropriations Committee is actively debating the SFY23 budget, and policy committees in both bodies are taking up a variety of initiatives related to health care reform,…
I’m don’t usually make New Year resolutions, largely because I’m not a big fan of resolutions. The growth and change I’ve seen in myself has always come from taking a small step in the right direction, and then another, and then another. If I do anything in January, I’ll choose one habit to work on —something…
This year’s Budget Adjustment Act (BAA) is more important to home health and hospice agencies than usual. Every year, the Administration brings a proposal to legislators in January to make adjustments to the state budget based on actual spending and any unexpected needs that have come up. January is…
VNAs of Vermont executive director Jill Olson Is featured in a new documentary sponsored by the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems, which will air on Vermont PBS on December 2, 2021 at 8 p.m. Though Vermont is going through a tough time with COVID cases as of this writing, our response…
The Vermont Legislature has adjourned for the second time in a year—the first being last Fall, when they finished up the extra-long 2020 session. While the session that began in January was an average length, it was far from ordinary, as legislators were largely working remotely. Despite the distance…
Last week, the Vermont homebound vaccination partnership between home health agencies and EMS was poised to cross the 3,000 mark for first doses. More than half of those homebound Vermonters have also received their second dose. This effort is a national model that has brought relief and protection to…
This week, the VNAs of Vermont is publishing our annual Crossover Report. Every year, mid-March marks a critical juncture in the legislative process known as Crossover. Generally, bills that haven’t made it out of committee by crossover are unlikely to made it over the legislative finish line. There…
ARPA
The recently-passed federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) provides a substantial opportunity to support the Choices for Care program. It provides for a 10-point bump in the federal matching rate for home and community-based services like the Choices for Care program beginning April 1. The law…
Over the last several weeks, the focus of the vaccination rollout effort has shifted from the health care workforce to Vermonters aged 75 and up. With that shift comes a new challenge for home health and hospice agencies, which have a critical role to play in this effort. All over Vermont, agencies are…
November is home care and hospice month, a time to celebrate the work of home health and hospice agencies. Usually it’s an opportunity to remind the public about the critical role home health and hospice agencies play in “normal” times—providing high quality health care at home, preserving the independence…
