Current News

The Vermont Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities & Health Care Administration (BISHCA) has issued administrative charges against UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company to determine whether a fine or other sanction should be imposed on the national insurer for deceptive advertising. BISHCA alleges violations that include failing to file Medicare Supplement advertisements for approval by the Department and engaging in unfair insurance practices.
The charges state that throughout the fall, UnitedHealthcare placed unapproved Medicare Supplement advertisements in various Vermont newspapers and other media. It is also alleged that representations contained in some of the advertisements at issue are untrue, deceptive or misleading.
A preliminary pre-hearing conference on these charges is scheduled for Tuesday, December 13.

Rural Vermont is requesting all raw milk producers across the state participate in a survey on raw milk sales in Vermont. The Vermont Legislature has requested that Rural Vermont present data to the House and Agricultural Committees representing the viability of raw milk sales in the state. Farmers who sell raw milk will be asked questions ranging from gross annual sales to issues encountered with the current law. The motivation behind this comprehensive survey is to gather valuable information to convince policy makers that raw milk is a growing and important part of Vermont’s agricultural economy.

Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin and other state officials will join FairPoint’s leadership team to honor the extraordinary dedication and service to Vermont and their fellow Vermonters following Tropical Storm Irene.
Tropical Storm Irene tested all Vermonters, and the FairPoint Vermont State President’s Awards were created to honor those who went way beyond the call-of-duty to keep Vermonters, and their towns and villages, connected.
2011 has been a tough year for Vermont. In addition to rebuilding Vermont telecommunications infrastructure post-Tropical Storm Irene, FairPoint helped communities recover from historic spring floods in Chittenden and Franklin counties. Wedged in between and during these 100-year events, FairPoint successfully completed the largest broadband buildout Vermont has ever seen with almost 1,100 miles of new fiber and nearly 90 percent of FairPoint’s Vermont customers now having broadband access.

Governor Peter Shumlin and the Vermont State Employees Association announced today that they have reached tentative agreements on labor contracts covering three bargaining units: Corrections, Supervisory and Non-Management Units. These agreements are subject to ratification by the VSEA membership and cover a two-year period, from July 2012 to June 2014.
Under the terms of the contracts, state employees will receive a 2 percent increase in July 2012 and an additional 2 percent increase in July 2013. In accordance with the contract now in place, the 3 percent decrease in compensation taken by state employees for the 2011-2012 fiscal years will be restored at the end of June 2012. In addition, previously ‘frozen’ step movement will resume in July 2012.

At the Good Samaritan Haven, Representative Peter Welch (D-VT) today announced bipartisan legislation to help rural states like Vermont secure additional funding to fight homelessness. Welch is introducing the bill with Rep. Geoff Davis (R-KY).
Welch’s bill (HR 3141) would increase federal funding to Vermont for the federal Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) program. Established in 1990, PATH provides funding for local efforts to help homeless, mentally ill Vermonters and those at risk of becoming homeless.

There were 1,250 new regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance last week, as claims remain at a high level post Tropical Storm Irene. However, new claims decreased of 111 from the week before. Last summer's historically low claims came to an abrupt end with the storm. The numbers then dropped signifcantly in the following weeks after the storm, but in the last several weeks there has been mostly an increase in the number of new claims. The latest numbers are more than double the initial claims observed in July and August.

Central Vermont Medical Center (CVMC) and Fletcher Allen Health Care, now affiliated as Fletcher Allen Partners (FAP), recently made a significant step in sharing resources while improving patient care without the need for transporting the patient to Burlington.
Intensivists, Dr. Gil Allen and Dr. Ryan Clouser, located at Fletcher Allen in Burlington, were able to consult with Dr. Craig from The Health Center in Plainfield while he was at the bedside of a patient in CVMC’s intensive care unit by means of a roving telemedicine unit. Intensivists are physicians with specialized training in critical-care medicine who care for patients in intensive care units.

Governor Peter Shumlin announced today that Verizon Wireless recently activated a new cell site in Warren that expands wireless voice and 3G data coverage at Sugarbush Resort and the town of Warren, as well as the surrounding areas. The company invested in Washington County to continue to stay ahead of increasing demand for reliable voice and mobile Internet access, moving the state closer to the Governor’s goal of statewide service by the end of 2013.

Larry Sudbay, President and Chief Executive Officer of SymQuest® Group, the region’s leading provider of network and document technology solutions and services, is pleased to announce the winner of the fifth SymPowered Office $25,000 Makeover is the Vermont Center for Independent Living.

Vermont is the beneficiary of more than $500,000 in federal funding to improve health care and education in the northern part of the state. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Thrusday that 100 recipients in 34 states and one territory will receive $30,172,507 to improve access to health care and educational services in rural areas. Funding is provided through the USDA Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Program. The announcement included a $499,870 grant to North Country Supervisory Union in Newport, VT and an $84,141 grant to Orleans-Essex VNA & Hospice also in Newport.

The US Small Business Administration has announced that federal economic injury disaster loans are available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private non-profit organizations of all sizes located in Addison, Bennington, Chittenden, Grand Isle and Rutland counties in Vermont as a result of the effects of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee that occurred from Aug. 27 through Sept. 15, 2011.
"These counties are eligible because they are contiguous to one or more primary counties in New York. The Small Business Administration recognizes that disasters do not usually stop at county or state lines. For that reason, counties adjacent to primary counties named in the declaration are included," said Frank Skaggs, director of SBA's Field Operations Center East in Atlanta.

Sarah London, an Assistant Attorney General in the Public Protection Division who has focused on consumer protection and antitrust efforts, will become Gov. Peter Shumlin’s legal counsel. London replaces former Counsel Beth Robinson, who resigned to take a seat on the Vermont Supreme Court.
‘I am proud to welcome Sarah to my staff and am excited to start working with her. Sarah is an exceptional lawyer who understands the legislative process, has great judgment and will be a pleasure to work with,’ the Governor said. ‘I know she will be missed at the Attorney General’s office and I appreciate Attorney General Sorrell giving Sarah his blessing to join our office.’
As legal counsel, London will provide guidance to the Governor and his administration, spearhead Gov. Shumlin’s transparency-in-government agenda, work with lawmakers on key legislation, and more. London will officially step into the new position on Jan. 3.