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).
Eligibility¶
- Care recipient must have a qualifying disability
- Employer must have 2+ employees
- Relationship: spouse, child, parent, other relative
Questions to ask the program¶
These are questions to ask the program, not a verdict on your eligibility. Confirm the current rules directly with the program.
- Does the person receiving care live in Vermont? — Residency is usually the first thing a program checks.
- Does your relationship to the person — spouse, child, parent, or other relative — count for this program?
- What counts as a qualifying disability or level of care need, and what documentation shows it?
- Does your employer have at least 2 employees?
- 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.
- What documents do you need from us to start an application?
- Is there a waitlist right now, and how long is it?
What this record does not yet say¶
- a direct application link
How to apply¶
- 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.