Healthcare across the United States is fragmented, expensive, and inefficient; the healthcare delivery system in Vermont is no exception. In fact, due to the state's distinct aging demographic and geographic composition, Vermont experiences unique challenges in access to healthcare and health equity.1 While Vermont's Blueprint for Health has sought…
Vermont law has, in addition to those outlined in federal law, a number of exemptions to both its standard minimum wage and overtime pay requirements. As the House Committee on General, Housing, and Military affairs is reconsidering the current exemptions on the books, this report explores the context behind them…
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government funded Universal School Meals (USMs) nationwide. After seeing robust benefits for students and teachers, Vermont policymakers decided to continue this program at the state level for the 2022-23 school year. However, sustaining USMs comes at a cost. This report identifies the impacts and…
Between the 1930s and 1977, chemical companies such as Monsanto manufactured electrical equipment and building materials, including caulk and light ballasts, with human-made chemicals known as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Although PCBs were banned in 1979, a lack of removal efforts means they persist in many buildings constructed before that date…
A Medicaid coverage cliff is a situation in which beneficiaries have incomes that exceed the limit for Medicaid supplemental coverage but still do not earn enough to afford private insurance. This report identifies the scope of Medicaid cliffs in Vermont and gives the Vermont House Committee on Healthcare recommendations on…
In the legal system, incompetent individuals are deemed mentally unfit to testify or stand trial by the court. Competency restoration is the mental health treatment provided to legally incompetent defendants so that they can fully participate in judicial proceedings. The current U.S. competency restoration system prevents people from receiving effective…
This report analyzes the opportunity for Vermont to implement new improvements to their Unemployment Insurance (UI) System. This report draws on and synthesizes the key findings of the December 2021 Report of the Unemployment Insurance Study Committee, the Memorandum on the Feasibility of Changing the Unemployment Insurance Mainframe Program, the…
This report provides background, context, and insights into the current impacts of parental incarceration of children in Vermont. In addition, it analyzes the expedient factors in H.399, a bill that proposes "to require the sentencing court to consider the criminal defendant's status as the primary caretaker of a dependent child…
Regenerative agriculture may provide numerous benefits to the state of Vermont, including increased food security and ecosystem conservation; however, this approach may be much more expensive to farmers than conventional practices. Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES), a process whereby farmers receive monetary or in-kind compensation for protecting various ecosystem assets…
The data used in this report was built upon The Vermont Balance of State Continuum of Care Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) and Annual Point in Time (PIT)
Surveys. The Nelson A. Rockefelle r Center at Dartmouth College Center, a catalyst for public policy research has engaged with the Data…