Vermont DCF Youth Pay to Stay Policy

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Vermont Public Records Act, I hereby request the following records:

The following materials regarding the imposition, assessment, collection and balances of fees and debt for incarcerated youth (i.e., juvenile):

All current policies and procedures regarding medical and room & board costs or fees for which incarcerated youth (i.e. juvenile) and/or their parents or legal guardians are or may become liable. Please include all policies and procedures related to how fees are set, accrued, imposed, collected, and enforced (such as those related to per diem fees, ability to pay determinations, penalties for late or non-payment, authorization for civil or criminal action for payment enforcement, etc).

All reports, databases, spreadsheets, or equivalent materials regarding debts/restitution paid to or owed to this department/office or any facility/agency under its jurisdiction in FY2021. Please include all relevant data regarding medical and room & board costs, including the number of youths (i.e., juveniles) charged for medical and room & board costs or fees and the total amount of medical and room & board fees imposed in FY2021.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 3 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Kelly Stevenson

Hi,

Thank you for your response to my initial query.

In your most recent response, you indicate that the Department has no policy or procedure regarding medical or room-and-board costs for which incarcerated youths and their families are liable. Could you clarify, then, whether Vermont state statute 33 V.S.A. § 5116 authorizes the Commissioner of the Department to create such policies that would hold incarcerated youths and/or their families liable for the room-and-board and medical costs? If so, is it the case that the Commissioner chooses against creating such policies?

The statute in question can be found here: (https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/section/33/051/05116#:~:text=%C2%A7%205116.%20Costs%20and,Jan.%201%2C%202009.)

Thank you again for your patience and support.

Best,
Kelly