Without universal paid Leave in Vermont, families like mine are simply out of luck
A trip to the ER this past summer because my husband wasn’t feeling well turned into immediate surgery as a result of a cancer diagnosis. Our family soon learned about the gaps in Vermont’s paid leave coverage that cause many families to scramble to patch together care and financial resources.
Since I became his primary caregiver — bringing him to doctor’s appointments, chemotherapy and other procedures; I went to my human resources department to apply for paid leave. I was told that Vermont’s paid leave program is voluntary for employers.
I was told that I could sign up as an individual under Vermont’s voluntary plan on The Hartford’s (who administrates the program) website. But what I discovered was that if I had wanted this coverage, I had to have signed up in May. It was now August. I was out of luck and couldn’t be covered until May 2026.
I signed up for FMLA which basically protects my job after a good amount of documentation is provided but it doesn’t provide any paid leave.
As a result, the last 8 months have been a balancing act of trying to take as few unpaid days as possible. I’ve taken close to 80 hours of unpaid leave so far. My husband is still in treatment and has another major surgery this spring.
Vermont’s current paid leave program, which covers state employees and is voluntary for other businesses and individuals, is a step in the right direction. But we need to take more steps.
Leaving families like mine waiting nine months when they need help now isn’t a good solution. The Vermont legislature needs to pass and the Governor needs to sign universal paid leave so all Vermont workers can get the care and help they need when they need it.