The World 081821

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Contacting Congress
U.S. Rep. Peter Welch
Mailing address:
128 Lakeside Ave, Suite 235
Burlington, VT 05401
Web site: www.welch.house.gov
Phone: (802) 652-2450
U.S. Sen. Bernard Sanders
Mailing address:
1 Church St., Third Floor,
Burlington, VT 05401
Web site: www.sanders.senate.gov
Phone: (802) 862-0697
U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy
urlington office
199 Main St., Fourth Floor,
Burlington, VT 05401
Web site: www.leahy.senate.gov
Phone: (802) 863-2525
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page 12 The WORLD August 18, 2021
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With Multiple Expanded Federal Unemployment Benefits Set to
Expire by September 6, 2021, Department of Labor Increases
Outreach and Assistance
The Vermont Department of Labor is reminding claimants
the federal expansion of unemployment insurance benefits
created under the CARES Act will end September 6, 2021.
This includes Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA),
Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC),
and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation
(PEUC). The Department will be increasing outreach and
assistance to help claimants transition into the workforce or
find training or educational opportunities.
“The federal CARES Act programs played an important
role in providing temporary assistance to make sure Vermont
workers were supported during a time of great uncertainty
throughout the last seventeen months,” said Commissioner
Michael Harrington. “Since March 2020, the Department has
issued over 2.3 million unique benefit payments to more than
100,000 Vermonters totaling over $1.7 billion.”
The week that ends September 4 will mark the final week
for CARES Act programs. This means claimants will collect
their final CARES Act benefits the week of September 5 - 10,
when they file their weekly claim – for those in PUA and
PEUC, this will be their last weekly claim.
The conclusion of the federal program will affect the
roughly 12,000 claimants filing in PUA and PEUC who will
no longer be eligible to file for benefits. This will also affect
the 5,500 claimants currently in regular unemployment insurance
(those in their initial 26 weeks of filing) but to a different
degree. Those individuals will continue to collect benefits as
they are eligible under regular unemployment, but they will
no longer see the FPUC supplement, which provided an additional
$300 per week.
“As these federal programs end, we know we have more
work to do. The Department, and especially our Workforce
Development team, are already connecting with claimants
and employers to help people get back into the workforce and
minimize the impact of this change in benefits”, said
Harrington.
The Department has continued to connect with unemployment
insurance claimants through direct email and phone
outreach to provide information on how the end of federal
benefits will impact them, as well as what workforce development
support services are available to assist them with reemployment.
Workforce Development team members are located at Job
Centers now open for expanded hours across the state and are
available for both virtual and in-person career consultations.
Local career specialists can assist jobseekers in finding career
and training opportunities, as well as employers looking for
talent through job promotion, hiring events, and applicant
referrals. Local and statewide teams continue to hold weekly
virtual workshops and events, including sessions on resume
writing, re-employment strategies, and virtual job fairs. Learn
more at Labor.Vermont.gov/Jobs.
For more information on the Department of Labor, including
additional details on the impact of the end of CARES Act
programs and resources available to those impacted, please
visit Labor.Vermont.gov.
Teachers’ Retirement Board Negotiates Lower Costs and
Enhanced Health Care Benefits for Retirees with Medicare
Jon Harris, Chair of the Vermont State Teachers’ Retirement
System (VSTRS) Board, announced that after a rigorous bid
process, the Board selected Vermont Blue Advantage (VBA)
to deliver Medicare Advantage health insurance for VSTRS
retirees with Medicare. “The reason for the change is simple
– it allows us to closely match the benefits provided to
Medicare-eligible members and provide significant enhancements,
including a new vision and hearing benefit, at reduced
premium averaging between 30% and 40%.”
The VSTRS Board is responsible for providing Vermont’s
retired teachers with access to high quality health insurance.
Historically, health insurance has been provided through a
partnership with the Vermont Education Health Initiative, or
VEHI, to all retired teachers. This year, VEHI partnered with
VBA and submitted a joint bid in which VEHI will continue
to provide health insurance to VSTRS’s non-Medicare retired
teachers through the same group health plans as are in place
today, and VBA will provide health insurance to Medicareeligible
retirees through Medicare Advantage plans.
Vermont State Treasurer Beth Pearce noted: “I am pleased
to join Chair Harris in announcing that in concert with
Treasury staff, the VSTRS Board found and selected a plan
option that will not only offer familiar benefit features at a
significantly lower cost per month to Medicare-eligible retirees,
but will also add new benefits, enhance telehealth and
preventive care, and offer extensive provider choice. This
amounts to great health care services and more money in
retirees’ pockets.”
• • •
• • •
“I welcome members of VSTRS with Medicare,” says Pam
Getsie, Plan President of Vermont Blue Advantage. “The customized
plans bring VSTRS retirees and their dependents
with Medicare the health care advantages they have earned
and deserve, and the unmatched confidence that comes from
carrying a BlueCross® BlueShield® card in your wallet.”
“I am pleased that we can offer a high-quality Medicare
Advantage plan to the retired teachers and employees of our
public schools, while substantially reducing VSTRS’ health
care costs,” said Don George, President and CEO of Blue
Cross. “This is precisely why we formed Vermont Blue
Advantage: to deliver excellent products that offer peace of
mind and savings to our long-term client partners and their
retirees.”
Mark Hage and Bobby-Jo Salls, Trust Administrators for
VEHI, said, “VEHI has proudly served the retired members
and their dependents in VSTRS for two decades. The VEHI
team is pleased that we can continue to serve the non-Medicare
retirees and their families and VSTRS as Medicareeligible
members transition to Medicare Advantage plans.”
The new plans will take effect on January 1, 2022. Over the
course of the next few months, retired members will be
receiving more specific information about what is changing
and what is staying the same. There will also be multiple
opportunities for retirees to learn more about the new plans
through a series of webinars delivered by staff from VSTRS,
VBA, and VEHI.
Vaccine Mandate: Half of Vermont Employees Think it Should Be
Mandatory to Disclose Your Vaccine Status at Work, Reveals Poll.
Although there is no legal obligation to share your vaccination
status with everyone who may ask, this information
might be required in certain circumstances. In a similar way
that schools ask for details about childhood vaccinations,
companies might inquire about employees’ vaccine status as a
matter of health and safety for other people who work in the
workplace. Even though vaccinated employees are less likely
to get seriously ill, it’s still possible for them to become
infected with the coronavirus as they return to the workplace.
iprospectcheck.com, a background check and screening
solution company, conducted a survey (3,000 employees) and
found that almost half (47%) of Vermont employees think it
should be a mandatory requirement to disclose your vaccine
status to your employer. This compares to a national average
of 57%.
Those in Massachusetts and Hawaii were most supportive
of this idea, with 79% of employees here saying improper
disclosure of vaccine status should result in disciplinary
action. By comparison, employees in Louisiana seemed
slightly more apprehensive of disclosing this information at
work, but 31% were still in agreement.
It appears many employees take the disclosure of vaccine
status very seriously as nearly half (42%) say they should
have the right to take legal action against their employer if
there are inadequate safeguards against unvaccinated colleagues
at work. Nearly 1 in 5 (16%) even believe improper
disclosure of vaccine status should lead to disciplinary action
up to and including termination of the employee. 14% think
improper disclosure should lead to employee suspension.
• • •
To maintain a high level of safety, over half (55%) of
employees think it should be mandatory for all staff to take
daily COVID tests in the workplace as a precaution.
Lastly, it was also found that 42% of employees would be
more concerned about sharing a workplace with an unvaccinated
colleague than one who has a lengthy criminal record.
“The idea of being required to disclose one’s vaccine status
to an employer can be a contentious one. However, as
employers begin to require employees to return to the office,
the health and safety of all employees is a very high priority
for employers.” says Matthew Rodgers, President of iprospectcheck.