Assistance Programs in Vermont

Crisis Fuel Assistance helps when you have a winter heating emergency, like running out of fuel with no money to buy more. It can buy your primary heating source, pay for electricity needed to run your heating system, and help set up payment plans or prevent a gas or electric disconnection. Apply in person at your local Community Action Agency, and call first so they can tell you what to bring. Do not wait until you run out, because the program cannot help once fuel is already delivered or furnace work is done.

Seasonal Fuel Assistance is Vermont's LIHEAP program, and it pays a portion of your winter home heating bills whether you own or rent and whether you pay for heat directly or as part of your rent. Apply online through the myBenefits portal, in person at your district office, or by calling 1-800-479-6151 to request a paper application. If you got Fuel Assistance last season, watch for the annual review form instead. Once you are an active Seasonal Fuel household, you also qualify for free weatherization.

Vermont's Weatherization Assistance Program makes free energy-efficiency improvements so your home wastes less heat and your bills drop. On average the program makes about 10,000 dollars of improvements per home, adds around 1,500 square feet of insulation, and cuts drafts by about 40 percent. There is no statewide phone line; you apply through the Community Action Agency serving your area, which are BROC, Capstone, CVOEO, NETO, and SEVCA. Download your agency's application, complete it, and mail the signed forms to the address on the application.

3SquaresVT is Vermont's name for SNAP: monthly money for food, loaded onto a Vermont EBT card you use like a debit card at many stores and farmers markets. Apply online through the myBenefits portal, or submit a paper Form 202 by mail, at a district office, or through the document uploader. Call the Benefits Service Center at 1-800-479-6151 to apply by phone or request a form. If everyone in the home is 65 or older or gets SSI, benefits come as cash to a bank account instead of an EBT card.

WIC gives food benefits, nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and counseling to pregnant Vermonters, new parents, and caregivers with children under 5. Vermont WIC runs through local Health Department offices, and food benefits load onto a card you use with the WICShopper app at approved stores. Apply by contacting the Vermont WIC Program at 1-800-464-4343 or 802-863-7200, by email at wic@vermont.gov, or through your local office. In-person and remote appointments are both available.

Green Mountain Care is the umbrella name for Vermont's public health coverage, including Medicaid and Dr. Dynasaur, which covers children under 19 and pregnant people. Vermont expanded Medicaid, so low-income adults under 65 can qualify too, alongside people 65 or older, blind, or disabled. Apply for Medicaid, Dr. Dynasaur, and other coverage through Vermont Health Connect online or by calling 1-855-899-9600, Monday through Friday, 8am to 4:30pm. Current members can reach the Customer Support Center at 1-800-250-8427.

Reach Up is Vermont's monthly cash assistance for families with minor, dependent children, paired with case management to help you reach goals around work, education, housing, health, and more. Apply online, in person at your local district office, or by calling 1-800-479-6151 to request a paper application. You take part in an interview by phone or in person. If the child's other parent lives elsewhere, a child support case usually opens automatically unless you request a safety waiver.

Vermont unemployment insurance gives short-term weekly payments if you lost work through no fault of your own, from the Vermont Department of Labor. File your initial claim online through the Claimant e-Services portal, which needs a myVermont account, or by phone at 1-800-479-6151. Wait, file by calling 1-877-214-3330, Monday through Thursday 8:30am to 4pm and Friday 9am to 4pm. For help on an existing claim, the Claimant Assistance line is 1-877-214-3332. A claim cannot start until you have actually separated from your job.

Vermont's Earned Income Tax Credit is a refundable credit equal to 38 percent of your federal EITC, so it can pay out as cash even when it is larger than the tax you owe. You claim it on Schedule IN-112 with your Vermont income tax return. In Vermont, the credit is open to all qualifying residents regardless of whether you, your spouse, or a qualifying child has a Social Security number, so filers using an ITIN can claim it. Free VITA tax help can file your federal and Vermont returns and claim both credits at no cost.

Vermont Legal Aid and Legal Services Vermont work together to give free civil legal help to low-income Vermonters on housing and eviction, family, public benefits, consumer and debt, health care, and other noncriminal problems. Legal Services Vermont screens all requests. The fastest way in is the online Legal Help Request Form, or leave a message on the legal helpline at 1-800-889-2047 (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 8am to 1pm; Tuesday and Thursday 12:30pm to 7pm). Most people hear back within about 5 to 10 days. Free self-help legal information is at vtlawhelp.org for everyone.

Dial 2-1-1 from any Vermont phone, or call 1-866-652-4636 (or 802-652-4636), for free, confidential help finding local assistance with housing, utilities, food, health care, and more. Vermont 211 is run by the United Ways of Vermont. You can also text your ZIP code to 898211. If you need emergency housing, call rather than text or email; emergency housing call hours are 4:30pm to 10pm on weekdays and 8am to 10pm on weekends and holidays.