by Guy Page
Attorney General Charity Clark Monday, May 5 joined 19 other attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and other Trump administration officials to stop what the suit calls “the illegal dismantling of HHS”.
“Since taking office, Secretary Kennedy and the Trump administration have fired thousands of federal health workers, shuttered vital programs, and abandoned states to face mounting health crises without federal support,” Clark’s statement said.
The attorneys general argue that Secretary Kennedy and the Trump administration have robbed HHS of the resources necessary to effectively serve the American people, as directed by statute, and will be asking the court to halt further dismantling and restore key program operations.
Amber Alert test this afternoon – Wednesday, May 7 between 2 PM and 3 PM, an exercise of the Vermont AMBER Alert System will be conducted by the Vermont Department of Public Safety. The VT-Alert system will send messages to the thousands of subscribers, the Vermont Agency of Transportation message boards will be populated with exercise information, and VT Lottery will activate their system to message their signs, tickets, and kiosks.
The Emergency Alert System (EAS) will also be utilized to send test messages to TV and radio stations. As in the past, the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) will not be utilized.
Phone alerts will only occur for those who have signed up for VT-Alert. Anyone who wishes to receive AMBER Alerts and BLUE Alerts in the future, including the latest up-to-date information at the time of the alert, can register for a free account by going to the VT-Alert website: https://vem.vermont.gov/vtalert, or by signing up here.
Medicaid citizen panel seeks members – The Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA) is seeking current and former Medicaid members, or family members and caregivers of members, to join the Beneficiary Advisory Committee (BAC).
The BAC is a new advisory body made up entirely of people with direct Medicaid experience. Anyone enrolled in Vermont Medicaid, or previously enrolled in Vermont Medicaid, and their family members and caregivers is eligible to apply.
More information about the BAC is available through DVHA’s website: Beneficiary Advisory Committee | Department of Vermont Health Access.
DVHA will be holding a virtual Town Hall on Wednesday, May 7, from 12-12:30pm via Microsoft Teams. Department staff will be available to answer questions regarding the BAC.
The BAC will meet at least four times per year, with the first meeting planned for June 2025. Committee members may get paid $50 for each meeting attended. Reimbursement is available for additional costs such as travel, personal assistance, and childcare, if needed.