Today, AgeWell (the Area Agency on Aging for Addison, Chittenden, Franklin and Grand Isle Counties) published a guest blog on cyber-security by the Vermont Attorney General’s Office. The blog provides tips on how to avoid being scammed through the telephone. To read the blog, click here. Earlier this year, AgeWell published another guest blog by …

Today Governor Phil Scott approved The Older Vermonters Act (H.611) into law. The primary purpose of The Older Vermonters Act is to help increase coordination between government agencies and private organizations providing services, supports and protections to older Vermonters. It also establishes a “Self-Neglect” working group that will make

On Thursday, September 3, 2020, Assistant Attorney General Jamie Renner, EPI Chair, testified in support of H.611 before the Vermont Senate Health & Welfare Committee. H.611 would help increase coordination between state and private organizations serving older Vermonters. It would also establish a “Self-Neglect” working group tasked with making

Today, Governor Phil Scott signed into law H.635, a bill strengthening protections for long-term care residents. For example, under the new law, if a long-term care facility causes its residents “mental harms,” the State may undertake immediate enforcement action to address those concerns. Previously, Vermont law only permitted such action in response

On Wednesday, June 3, 2020, Assistant Attorney General Jamie Renner, EPI Chair, testified in support of H.635 before the Vermont Senate Health & Welfare Committee. H.635 would strengthen protections for state long-term care residents. For example, under the bill, if a long-term care facility causes its residents “mental harms,” the state may

CONTACT:    Elizabeth Anderson, Director, Medicaid Fraud & Residential Abuse, 802-828-3171 Attorney General T.J. Donovan today announced a settlement with three Genesis Healthcare subsidiary-operated nursing homes in Vermont – Burlington Health & Rehab, St. Johnsbury Health & Rehab, and Berlin Health & Rehab – resolving allegations of

Last week, EPI Chair Jamie Renner testified before the House Human Services Committee in support of H.635, a bill that would strength Vermont’s long-term care laws. Specifically, H.635 would strengthen the State’s ability to request and obtain court-appointed “receivers”—or, interim managers–over long-term care facilities when necessary to

While caregivers are daily lifelines for so many older Vermonters, serving as a caregiver to a family member or loved one can be a challenging, stressful and thankless task. For caregivers who are feeling burnout, depression, exhaustion, stress, and/or need additional information or local resources, there are several hotlines available, including one

Contact: Charity Clark, Chief of Staff, 802-828-3171 Attorney General T.J. Donovan submitted comments in opposition to the Trump Administration’s third proposal in the past year to cut benefits from SNAP, known in Vermont as 3SquaresVT. The latest proposal threatens to cut over $25 million in benefits to Vermonters by changing the way in which utility

Today the Older Vermonters Act Working Group, which included the AGO’s EPI as a member, submitted its final report to the legislature. The report recommends that the legislature pass an Older Vermonters Act that would, among other things, establish a coordinated system of supports and protections for older Vermonters. To read a copy of the …

Supported by a grant from the United States Department of Justice and Vermont Department of Public Safety, the Vermont-based Crime Research Group is undertaking a one-year study on the victimization of, and criminal justice response to, vulnerable adults and the elderly in Vermont. The EPI will serve as an advisory group member to this important …

CONTACT:  Elizabeth L. Anderson, Director, Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit, (802) 828-3171 Attorney General T.J. Donovan announced today that Dermot Hanna, 59, of Rutland, Vermont, was arraigned on September 30, 2019, on two counts of Abuse of a Vulnerable Adult and two counts of Obtaining a Regulated Drug by Deceit in Vermont Criminal Court,

This month, the EPI spoke with the Rutland Herald about scams and other forms of financial exploitation impacting older Vermonters. It shared data on these subjects from the Attorney General’s Consumer Assistance Program. To read the article, click here or visit:

Nationally, older individuals are uniquely impacted by the opiate crisis. They are housing, taking care of, and helping to financially support opiate-addicted adult children. They are helping raise grandchildren whose parents are struggling with addiction. Some are victims of drug diversion. Some are victims of financial exploitation by opiate-addicted

Just as young parents rightly prioritize the health and well-being of our children, at mid-life we also begin thinking more about the health and well-being of our own parents. By 2030, Vermont will be one of the oldest states – if not the oldest state – in the country.   Forty percent of Vermonters will be …

This week, Attorney General TJ Donovan called on the Federal Communications Commission to allow telephone service providers to block illegal “robocalls” that are made to unsuspecting consumers. A “robocall” is an automated phone call that delivers a recorded message. Scammers have been known to use robocalls to target older individuals. “Illegal

Every year, vulnerable adults suffer from untimely deaths. How do these deaths happen? What kinds of interventions might have prevented them? How can we do better? In 2016, Vermont’s legislature established a “Vulnerable Adult Fatality Review Team” within the Office of the Attorney General to bring together public and private sectors to address these

Senior Solutions (Council on Aging for Southeastern Vermont) is leading the development and implementation of a regional “multi-disciplinary team” (or “MDT”) to respond to “abuse in later life” in Windsor County. The MDT is made up of local police, prosecutors, mental health agencies, case managers, and others. The EPI will be collaborating with

It’s my job, and my office’s job, to help keep older Vermonters safe and secure. We do that every day in our criminal division by prosecuting physical abuse and financial exploitation. We do that job in our consumer protection division by advocating for older consumers and educating the public on frauds and scams. And we …