·State program
Vermont Voluntary Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program
Voluntary (not mandatory) paid family and medical leave insurance insured by The Hartford, rolled out in three phases: state employees (benefits from July 1, 2023), private and non-state public employers with two or more employees (July 1, 2024), and an individual purchasing pool for self-employed Vermonters, one-employee employers, and workers whose employer does not offer VT FMLI (enrollment May 2025, benefits from January 1, 2026).
What you get
Wage Replacement, Job Protection, as recorded:
- 60% of Base Weekly Wages, reduced by Other Income Benefits. State employee policy maximum $1,848.46 per week (2023 certificate); individual purchasing program up to $2,031.92 per week (2025 announcement). Maximum is indexed to the Social Security Contribution and Benefit Base Limit.
Questions that decide eligibility
GiveCare prepares the questions; the program makes the decision. Bring these to the call or the application:
- 01
Does the person receiving care live in Vermont?
Residency is usually the first thing a program checks.
- 02
Does your relationship to the person — spouse, child, parent, or other relative — count for this program?
- 03
What counts as a qualifying disability or level of care need, and what documentation shows it?
- 04
Does the VA disability rating meet the program’s minimum (our record lists null%)?
- 05
Does your employer have at least 2 employees?
- 06
Do the work hours meet the minimum (our record lists null hours)?
- 07
Is there a caregiver-specific department, coordinator, or support line? Ask for it by name.
Many agencies have one that isn’t advertised on the website.
- 08
What documents do you need from us to start an application?
- 09
Is there a waitlist right now, and how long is it?
Who qualifies, in the source’s words
Where our record has a direct quote from the official source, here it is — otherwise, this is our best reading of the rule.
Disability of the person receiving care
“To care for Your Family Member with a Serious Health Condition”
legislature.vermont.gov →Minimum VA disability rating
Minimum VA disability rating: null%.
Employer size
“Eligible Vermont employers include any public or private employer domiciled and/or registered in Vermont with two or more employees.”
legislature.vermont.gov →Work hours
“beginning on the one year anniversary of Your most recent date of hire”
legislature.vermont.gov →Relationship to the person receiving care
“spouse, child, stepchild, foster child, ward who lives with the employee, parent or parent of the employee”
governor.vermont.gov →State residency
“Individuals who work for Vermont employers that do not offer VT FMLI, self-employed Vermonters and employers with one employee can purchase coverage”
legislature.vermont.gov →
How to apply
- 01
Enroll: individuals visit the Vermont FMLI Individual Purchasing Program website (The Hartford) to obtain a quote and enroll during the enrollment window; employees enroll through an employer that offers VT FMLI. Claim: give The Hartford written notice of claim within 30 days of the qualifying leave (name, address, policy number); claims accepted in electronic, telephonic, or paper format; The Hartford sends proof-of-claim forms within 15 days; send proof of claim within 90 days of the first day of leave.
Documents to bring
- Full name and identifying information
- Qualifying leave reason
- Start date and anticipated end date or expected allotment of leave
- Whether leave is continuous, intermittent, or reduced schedule
- Completed Health Care Provider certifications supporting the need for leave
- Policyholder name and policy number
- For family leave, a statement regarding the family relationship