Vermont Dementia Respite Grant: How to Access Caregiver Relief Funding

What the Dementia Respite Grant Covers

Vermont's Dementia Respite Grant provides a limited annual allowance to help families caring for someone with dementia at home pay for temporary relief. The grant is administered through each regional Area Agency on Aging (AAA), funded by a combination of the federal National Family Caregiver Support Program (Title III-E of the Older Americans Act) and state appropriations.

The grant can cover several types of respite:

• In-home aide care for a few hours or a few days
• Adult day health program fees
• Short-term residential stays at a licensed facility so the primary caregiver can take a break

The exact dollar amount varies by AAA and by year, depending on the annual allocation. Typically, grants run a few thousand dollars per family per year. That won't cover months of care, but it can cover enough breaks to prevent the kind of total burnout that leads to emergency placement decisions.

Who Qualifies

Eligibility is straightforward. You're generally eligible if:

• You're providing unpaid care for someone with a documented dementia diagnosis (Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, or a related condition)
• The person you're caring for lives in the community (not in a nursing home or residential care facility)
• You're a Vermont resident in the AAA's service area

The grant doesn't require your parent to be on Medicaid or to meet the strict financial thresholds of the Choices for Care waiver. It's separate from the waiver system.

How to Apply

Contact your regional AAA directly:

• Age Well (Chittenden, Grand Isle, Franklin, Addison counties)
• Central Vermont Council on Aging (CVCOA) (Washington, Orange, Lamoille counties)
• Senior Solutions (Windsor, Windham counties)
• Southwestern Vermont Council on Aging (Bennington, Rutland counties)
• Northeastern Vermont Area Agency on Aging (Caledonia, Essex, Orleans counties)

The statewide HelpLine number is 1-800-642-5119.

Funds are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis until the annual allocation runs out. Apply early in the state fiscal year (which starts July 1) for the best chance of receiving the full allowance.

The National Family Caregiver Support Program Connection

The federal NFCSP provides the backbone funding for Vermont's caregiver support services, including the respite grant. Beyond respite, the NFCSP funds:

• Information and referral — connecting you to local services
• Caregiver counseling and training — individual or group sessions on managing dementia behaviors, self-care, and navigating the system
• Supplemental services — emergency supplies, assistive devices, or home modifications on a limited basis

These services are delivered through the same AAAs that administer the respite grant, so one call often opens the door to several programs.

When the Grant Isn't Enough

The respite grant is a bridge, not a solution. If your parent needs regular daily care, look into these additional programs:

Choices for Care Moderate Needs Group. If your parent needs help with at least one activity of daily living or instrumental activity of daily living three or more times per week, they may qualify for the MNG. This provides adult day services (up to 50 hours per week), homemaker services (up to 6 hours per week), and flexible funding of approximately $3,500 annually. The asset limit is $10,000 — much more generous than full Medicaid's $2,000.

Flexible Choices self-directed care. If your parent qualifies for the Choices for Care waiver at the High or Highest Need level, the Flexible Choices option lets you receive a monthly cash allowance to hire caregivers directly — including family members. The caregiver registers through ARIS Solutions and submits timesheets for payment.

The Vermont Dementia & Memory Care Guide walks through every caregiver support program in detail, including the specific forms and eligibility criteria for each one.

See more Vermont guides →