VLA in the Media
Some recent press mentions for Vermont Legal Aid
5/1/2025 Judge orders state to give motel voucher recipients more notice before evicting them
“For many people, access to emergency housing is literally a matter of life and death,” said Maryellen Griffin, a staff attorney at Vermont Legal Aid, which is representing service providers and motel program participants in the ongoing case. “This allows people to understand what is happening to them before it happens to them.”
. . .
3/26/2025 UVM Health Network agrees to tentative settlement with Green Mountain Care Board
“If I had an ability to influence what’s before you today, I would attempt to move towards more immediate rate relief for Vermonters,” Mike Fisher, Vermont’s chief health care advocate, said at the meeting.
3/19/2025 DOGE Cuts will hobble defenses against housing discrimination
Seven Days
https://www.sevendaysvt.com/news/doge-cuts-will-hobble-defenses-against-housing-discrimination-43118537
Vermont Legal Aid submitted its latest enforcement grant application last fall, at a time when the Biden administration was looking for grantees to demonstrate their commitment to diversity, especially racial justice. [Housing discrimination] project director Rachel Batterson expects to receive a rejection letter from the Trump administration soon. Without that grant, Vermont Legal Aid won't be able to take on new clients in housing discrimination cases for the foreseeable future. That could leave low-income plaintiffs without lawyers to represent them.
3/18/2025 Federal gov't cutting 80% of funding to VT's only fair housing project: Here's the impact
Shutting down the state's only dedicated fair housing education and outreach program would have dire repercussions - especially at a time when our enforcement partners at the Vermont Human Rights Commission and Vermont Legal Aid are also underfunded and not able to keep up with the volume of complaints and investigations. Rachel Batterson, the Director of The Housing Discrimination Law Project at Vermont Legal Aid and a CVOEO partner, works with Vermonters providing legal assistance with housing cases. She has advice to those who may be worried about losing resources. “The law is still good, what’s been changing is the ability of groups to enforce the law or to educate about the law. You can still file a case in state or federal courts or with the Human Rights Commission, or in theory with HUD. But you can still call us or CVOEO for help,” she said.
Burlington Free Press
http://burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/local/vermont/2025/03/18/champlain-valley-office-for-economic-opportunity-fair-housing-project-losing-federal-funding/82488121007/
My Champlain Valley
https://www.mychamplainvalley.com/news/local-news/cvoeos-fair-housing-project-suffers-federal-funding-cut
3/18/2025 Advocates: Hunger in Vermont is a failure of federal leadership
Vermont Business Magazine
https://vermontbiz.com/news/2025/march/18/advocates-hunger-vermont-failure-federal-leadership
“Making programs like SNAP more restrictive would only hurt Vermonters. Each new procedural hurdle imposed by federal lawmakers causes unnecessary interruptions in benefits, stress for families and more work for the state employees administering these programs,” said Olivia Graffeo-Cohen, staff attorney at Vermont Legal Aid.
3/17/2025 VAHHS: Blue Cross finances, lawmakers take on health care problems
Vermont Business Magazine
https://vermontbiz.com/news/2025/march/17/vahhs-blue-cross-finances-lawmakers-take-health-care-problems
The Health Care Advocate’s bill, H.80, passed out of the House Health Care Committee. The Health Care Advocate will have more involvement in health insurance rate filings, state agency meetings, and the CON process.
3/14/2025 Lawmakers seek to lower Vermont hospital costs, strengthen health care regulator
The bills also reflect what Vermont’s Chief Health Care Advocate Mike Fisher described as an increasing concern about the University of Vermont Health Network’s role in the state health care ecosystem. “I hear a great deal of skepticism from legislators about the way money is flowing through the health network, and about its impact on the health care system,” Fisher said. “And I think that’s apparent by the language that’s being considered.”
VT Digger
https://vtdigger.org/2025/03/14/lawmakers-seek-to-lower-vermont-hospital-costs-strengthen-health-care-regulator/
Valley News
https://www.vnews.com/Lawmakers-seek-to-lower-Vermont-hospital-costs-strengthen-health-care-regulator-60073964
3/11/2025 Why Vermont's health insurance costs keep going up
Vermont Public
https://www.vermontpublic.org/show/vermont-edition/2025-03-11/why-vermonts-health-insurance-costs-keep-going-up
Chief Health Care Advocate for Vermont Legal Aid Mike Fisher answers your questions about our health care system.
3/6/2025 Vermont was selected for a new federal health care reform program. Under Trump, will it happen at all?
“It’s hard for me to fathom a world in which a payment reform plan that has the word ‘equity’ in its title is going to live going forward,” Mike Fisher, Vermont’s chief health care advocate, told lawmakers on the Senate health and welfare committee last week.
VT Digger
https://vtdigger.org/2025/03/03/vermont-was-selected-for-a-new-federal-health-care-reform-program-under-trump-will-it-happen-at-all
Valley News
https://www.vnews.com/Vermont-was-selected-for-a-new-federal-health-care-reform-program-Under-Trump-will-it-happen-at-all-5977200
Feb and March 2025 Support S.27 for medical debt relief
Commentary by Michael Fisher, Chief Vermont Health Care Advocate. "At the Office of the Health Care Advocate, we often hear from Vermonters who are forced to make impossible choices between getting medical treatment and paying for basic needs like food, housing and heat."
Brattleboro Reformer
https://www.reformer.com/opinion/letters/letter-to-the-editor-support-s-27-an-act-relating-to-medical-debt-relief/article_3d890d14-f388-11ef-a8c7-8bd0b536044c.html
VT Digger
https://vtdigger.org/2025/03/09/mike-fisher-support-s-27-an-act-relating-to-medical-debt-relief/
Seven Days
https://www.sevendaysvt.com/news/letters-to-the-editor-3-12-25-43064627
Waterbury Roundabout:
https://www.waterburyroundabout.org/opinion-archive/commentary-support-s27-for-medical-debt-reliefnbspnbsp
Addison Independent:
https://www.addisonindependent.com/2025/02/27/letter-to-the-editor-support-s-27-medical-debt-relief-act/
2/17/2025 Vt. Lawmakers unveil proposal to erase medical debt
MSN.com:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/vt-lawmakers-unveil-proposal-to-erase-medical-debt/ar-AA1xBPpi?apiversion=v2&noservercache=1&domshim=1&renderwebcomponents=1&wcseo=1&batchservertelemetry=1&noservertelemetry=1
“We hear from Vermonters when they get advice that they need more care or they have a condition they’re worried about, they are afraid to go get care because they are afraid to incur more debt,” said Vermont Health Care Advocate Mike Fisher.
2/2/2025 King: The Growing Justice Gap in Vermont
VermontBiz:
https://vermontbiz.com/news/2025/march/02/king-growing-justice-gap-vermont
Commentary by by Hannah King, Executive Director of the Vermont Bar Foundation. The 2024 Vermont Statewide Legal Needs Assessment (VLA and Legal Services Vermont) paints a stark picture. Thousands of Vermonters face legal challenges without representation, often navigating complex legal systems alone.
1/31/2025 Trump order curbing access to gender-affirming care for youth creates ‘a lot of anxiety and a lot of fear’ in Vermont
Mike Fisher, Vermont’s chief health care advocate, acknowledged there was “a great deal of fear and uncertainty” provoked by the order but emphasized that such health care services remain protected in Vermont.
VT Digger:
https://vtdigger.org/2025/01/30/trump-order-curbing-access-to-gender-affirming-care-for-youth-creates-a-lot-of-anxiety-and-a-lot-of-fear-in-vermont/
and
Valley News:
https://www.vnews.com/Trump-order-curbing-access-to-gender-affirming-care-for-youth-creates-a-lot-of-anxiety-and-a-lot-of-fear-in-Vermont-59211807
1/30/2025 Pieciak Announces Plan To Eliminate $100m In Medical Debt
Mountain Times:
https://mountaintimes.info/2025/01/29/pieciak-announces-plan-to-eliminate-100m-in-medical-debt/
“Relieving the burden of medical debt will help people focus on their health, not their bank accounts,” said Chief Health Care Advocate Mike Fisher. “This means more people getting care at the right time, leading to better health outcomes for individuals.”
1/27/2025 Is Vermont facing an eviction crisis?
WCAX-TV3:
https://www.wcax.com/video/2025/01/28/is-vermont-facing-an-eviction-crisis/
The Green Mountain State has an eviction crisis. That’s according to a new report from Legal Services Vermont and Vermont Legal Aid. Reporter: "Their latest and most staggering finding is that evictions have increased 45% in the last five years."
1/23/2025 UVM Health Network executives made $3 million in bonuses in 2025
Mike Fisher, Vermont’s chief health care advocate, said in an interview that hospital leaders should “understand what a horrible message something like this sends” in a state struggling to pay for health care.
VT Digger:
https://vtdigger.org/2025/01/23/uvm-health-network-executives-made-3-million-in-bonuses-in-2024/
The Montpelier Bridge:
https://montpelierbridge.org/2025/01/uvm-health-network-executives-made-3-million-in-bonuses-in-2024/
1/22/2025 Lawmakers contemplate the end of expanded federal health insurance subsidies
VT Digger:
https://vtdigger.org/2025/01/22/final-reading-lawmakers-contemplate-the-end-of-expanded-federal-health-insurance-subsidies/
“My opinion, given who Congress is and the presidency, is that we plan for the reality that we won’t have enhanced tax credits next year,” Chief Health Care advocate Mike Fisher told lawmakers in the House Committee on Health Care Wednesday afternoon.
1/21/2025 Pieciak and lawmakers announce plan to eliminate $100 million in medical debt
Vermont Public:
https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2025-01-21/elected-officials-want-to-wipe-out-vermonters-medical-debt-using-state-funds
While uninsured Vermonters tend to face higher out-of-pocket costs for health care services, Mike Fisher, Vermont’s chief health care advocate, said high copays and deductibles have made medical debt a serious financial issue even for Vermonters who are insured.
WCAX-TV3:
https://www.wcax.com/2025/01/21/vt-lawmakers-unveil-proposal-erase-medical-debt/
“We hear from Vermonters when they get advice that they need more care or they have a condition they’re worried about, they are afraid to go get care because they are afraid to incur more debt,” said Vermont Health Care Advocate Mike Fisher.
Valley News:
https://www.vnews.com/health-care-debt-in-vermont-58991296
“Medical debt is a structural outcome,” said Mike Fisher, chief health care advocate at Vermont Legal Aid.
VermontBiz:
https://vermontbiz.com/news/2025/january/21/pieciak-and-lawmakers-announce-plan-eliminate-100-million-medical-debt
“Relieving the burden of medical debt will help people focus on their health, not their bank accounts,” said Chief Health Care Advocate Mike Fisher. “This means more people getting care at the right time, leading to better health outcomes for individuals.”
Seven Days:
https://www.sevendaysvt.com/news/state-treasurer-pieciak-proposes-medical-debt-relief-program-42712709
Mike Fisher, Vermont's health care advocate, said he routinely hears from people who are anxious and even ashamed because of bills they can't pay… "Medical debt is a structural outcome," Fisher said. "It's something we know will happen based on the way our health care system is structured."
1/16/2025 The head of Vermont’s largest insurance company says health care spending is out of control
"We have a healthcare financing system that is not functioning,” said Mike Fisher, the state’s chief health care advocate. “So the BlueCross letter becomes sort of a blinking red light.”
Vermont Public:
https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2025-01-16/vermonts-largest-insurance-company-bluecross-blueshield-says-health-care-spending-out-of-control
NHPR:
https://www.nhpr.org/2025-01-16/vermonts-largest-insurance-company-bluecross-blueshield-says-health-care-spending-out-of-contro
1/10/2025 Judge suggests dismissal of 73 counts against mentally ill man
Brattleboro Reformer:
https://www.reformer.com/local-news/judge-suggests-dismissal-of-73-counts-against-mentally-ill-man/article_ba239bbe-cdfe-11ef-8d64-d3a7ea2ddf46.html
Treadwell told the lawyers, which included Windham County Deputy State's Attorney Johns Congdon, Jack McCullough of Vermont Legal Aid's Mental Health Project, Rick Ammons of the Windham County Public Defender's office and Zachary Taylor of the Vermont Department of Mental Health, that "in the interests of justice" he would be interested in seeing a motion to dismiss the dozens of charges… McCullough said he agreed with the judge's assessment, and he noted that in the past year, there had been "no new charges" against Abdul-Kareem.
1/3/2025 Report shows low-income Vermonters’ challenges in accessing legal help
Legal Services Vermont and Vermont Legal Aid Publish recently produced the Vermont Legal Needs Assessment Report. It found vulnerable Vermonters continue to face broad and unmet civil legal needs, particularly when it comes to evictions and other housing issues.
WCAX-TV3:
https://www.wcax.com/2025/01/03/report-shows-low-income-vermonters-challenges-accessing-legal-help/
MSN.com:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/personalfinance/report-shows-low-income-vermonters-challenges-in-accessing-legal-help/ar-AA1wVL
1/3/2025 Capitol Beat: Legislative session to open next week
Times Argus:
https://www.timesargus.com/news/local/capitol-beat-legislative-session-to-open-next-week/article_32ff7fd2-c9e8-11ef-81ed-1b5f85cec1b2.html
Legal Services Vermont and Vermont Legal Aid reviewed a range of objective and subjective data, including requests for help to their systems, web analytics, court data and input through public meetings and surveys, to determine the most persistent areas of unmet civil legal need. “Our report makes it clear that the ‘justice gap’ is widening and we need to bridge that gap in Vermont,” said Sam Abel-Palmer, executive director of Legal Services Vermont.
1/2/2025 Hospital pricing reform could save Vermonters millions, study suggests
Addison Independent:
https://www.addisonindependent.com/2025/01/02/uvmhn-expands-in-ny-while-making-cuts-in-vt/
In comments submitted to the Green Mountain Care Board in August, Vermont’s chief health care advocate Mike Fisher and his staff members charged that the network “has consistently weakened its financial position by choosing to transfer monies to the New York hospitals.”