The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Vermont establishes $200,000 annual grant program for municipal community nurses and care coordinators
Last action · February 4, 2025: Read first time and referred to the Committee on Human ServicesSponsors: Rebecca Holcombe and 1 other
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What This Bill Would Do
The Vermont Department of Health will administer a grant program offering up to $10,000 per municipality to fund community nurses and care coordinators starting July 1, 2025. The bill appropriates $200,000 from the General Fund for 2026 and intends the same annual for future years.
Rural Vermont municipalities gain state funding to support local healthcare workers who assist residents with navigating medical care and preventing avoidable institutional care.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Municipalities
Cities, towns, and incorporated villages may apply for up to $10,000.00 annually to establish or expand community nurse and care coordinator programs.
Department of Health
The Department is required to administer the grant program, adopt rules, distribute funds, and provide guidance through local health offices.
Community nurses and community care coordinators
Healthcare professionals funded through these municipal grants will have their services and work hours supported in local communities.
Key Facts
- The Department of Health shall administer a grant program providing up to $10,000.00 per municipality for community nurse or community care coordinator programs.
- Fiscal year 2026 appropriates $200,000.00 from the General Fund to the Department of Health for the grant program.
- The General Assembly intends to appropriate $200,000.00 annually starting in fiscal year 2027.
- Municipalities applying for grants must establish a separate financial account or use a qualifying nonprofit organization to administer funds with fiscal transparency.
Show all 10 facts
- Municipal applicants must provide documentation that their legislative body approved the program and describe proposed duties, work hours, and training.
- Applicants seeking to establish new programs are given priority over those expanding existing ones.
- A municipality is eligible for a maximum of five annual grants.
- Two or more municipalities may submit joint applications to support shared services.
- The Commissioner of Health must adopt rules for application timelines, criteria, and expenditure reviews.
- The act takes effect on July 1, 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much funding can a single municipality receive?
Who is eligible to apply for the grant funding?
Are new programs prioritized over existing ones?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
1 action- Feb 4, 2025HouseIntroducedRead first time and referred to the Committee on Human Services
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Direct Municipal Health Grants
Shifts state healthcare support by providing direct grants to municipalities to establish or expand community nursing and care coordination.
Connected Entities
Sources
legislature.vermont.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance55How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy10Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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