Vermont S. 242: An act relating to health insurance coverage for hearing aids

Bill Text

BILL AS INTRODUCED S.242
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VT LEG #385819 v.1
S.242 1
Introduced by Senators Brock, Gulick, Hardy and Lyons 2
Referred to Committee on 3
Date: 4
Subject: Human services; appropriations; dementia respite grant program; 5
dementia capable activities 6
Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to appropriate 7
funds for the dementia respite grant program and to establish a pilot program 8
that creates or expands dementia capable activities in certain counties. 9
An act relating to dementia respite and dementia capable programming 10
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 11
Sec. 1. FINDINGS 12
The General Assembly finds that: 13
(1) according to the Alzheimer Association’s 2025 Vermont 14
Alzheimer’s Statistics, there are: 15
(A) 12,800 Vermonters over 65 years of age with Alzheimer’s 16
Disease; and 17
(B) 20,000 unpaid caregivers in Vermont providing a combined total 18
of 29 million hours of care annually, which totals $773,000,000.00 in unpaid 19

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VT LEG #385819 v.1
care, 61.5 percent of whom have chronic health conditions themselves and 1
35.4 percent of whom have depression; 2
(2) according to the Department of Health, one in four caregivers spend 3
40 or more hours per week on dementia-related caregiving responsibilities; 4
(3) according to the Alzheimer’s Association’s 2021 Behavioral Risk 5
Factor Surveillance System, 71.1 percent of Vermont’s dementia caregivers are 6
women, 23.6 percent of Vermont’s dementia caregivers are also caring for a 7
child, and 52.8 percent of Vermont’s dementia caregivers have been providing 8
care for two or more years; 9
(4) according to the Alzheimer’s Association, 57 percent of employed 10
dementia caregivers had to go into work late, leave early, or take time off due 11
to caregiving demands; 12
(5) according to the Alzheimer’s Association, the total lifetime cost of 13
care for a person living with dementia is approximately $405,262.00; and 14
(6) Vermont’s Dementia Respite Grant is distributed by the Department 15
of Disabilities, Aging, and Independent Living to the five area agencies on 16
aging to support unpaid family caregivers and may be used for services such as 17
in-home care and adult day services, but is not available to individuals 18
receiving Choices for Care or receiving caregiver support through the Veterans 19
Independence, Attendant Services, or National Family Caregiver Support 20
programs. 21

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VT LEG #385819 v.1
Sec. 2. APPROPRIATION; DEMENTIA RESPITE GRANT PROGRAM 1
(a) In fiscal year 2027, $750,000.00 shall be appropriated from the General 2
Fund to the Department of Disabilities, Aging, and Independent Living for 3
distribution to the Vermont Association of Area Agencies on Aging to fund the 4
Vermont Dementia Respite Grant. 5
(b) Twenty percent of the grant shall be used to fund “out-of-home day” 6
respite care, including adult day programs, meaning care provided in a group 7
setting outside the home during daytime hours. 8
(c) Individuals with dementia with an annual income at or below 400 9
percent of the federal poverty level shall be eligible for grant funds under this 10
section. Funds shall be capped at $3,000.00 per person for fiscal year 2027. 11
(d) Each area agency on aging shall maintain a waitlist for services funded 12
through this grant program. Funding shall be available on a first-come, first-13
served basis. 14
Sec. 3. APPROPRIATION; DEMENTIA CAPABLE SOCIAL ACTIVITIES 15
(a) In fiscal year 2027, $100,000.00 shall be appropriated from the General 16
Fund to the Department of Disabilities, Aging, and Independent Living to 17
establish a one-year pilot program to create or expand dementia capable social 18
activities in Rutland and Washington Counties. The grant shall be 19
administered by the Department’s State Dementia Services Coordinator, in 20

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VT LEG #385819 v.1
consultation with the Commission on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related 1
Disorders established pursuant to 3 V.S.A. § 3085b. 2
(b) The State Dementia Services Coordinator shall award four grants of 3
$25,000.00 to community organizations in Rutland and Washington Counties, 4
such as senior centers, libraries, recreation departments, and meal sites, 5
providing dementia capable social activities. The State Dementia Services 6
Coordinator shall prioritize activities serving individuals with cognitive 7
impairment or dementia and that support brain health. Successful grant 8
applicants shall have completed training in communicating with and 9
developing activities for individuals with dementia and other cognitive 10
disorders. 11
Sec. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE 12
This act shall take effect on July 1, 2026. 13