Vermont’s Opioid Settlements

This Community Guide will describe how Vermont is spending its opioid settlements and whether Vermont is working to ensure community access to opioid settlement funds. Last revised September 1, 2024.

Total Funds

$120.71 million[1]

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[1] Total is rounded. See The Official Opioid Settlement Tracker Tally. Accessed September 1, 2024.

Allocation

70% to the Opioid Abatement Special Fund, 15% to local governments, and 15% to the state

Mechanism

Legislation (18 V.S.A. Secs. 4771 through 4774)

	70% Opioid Abatement Special Fund	15% Local Share	15% State Share
Ultimate Decisionmaker	Vermont state legislature	Local officials of counties, cities, and towns	The “State” (not further specified)
Decision-making Process	The Vermont state legislature ultimately decides expenditures after consulting the recommendations of the Vermont Department of Health (DOH) and its Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee.	Localities decide autonomously	“State” decides (not further specified)
Supplantation	Prohibited	Not prohibited	Not prohibited
Grant Funding	Yes. See DOH’s Requests for Proposals, Information and Applications page.	Up to each locality (availability and processes will vary)	No
Public Input	Yes (public comment required at Advisory Committee meetings)	Generally, yes (public comments required at public meetings)	No opportunities available (not required)
Advisory Body	Yes (required). See the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committee is required to include member(s) with lived and/or living experience.	Up to each locality (not required)	No (not required)
Expenditures	Neither public nor intrastate reporting required, but see the Department of Health’s continuously updated activity Summary and Status Report.	Neither public nor intrastate reporting required	Neither public nor intrastate reporting required
Updates	For updates on the Opioid Abatement Special Fund share, visit the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee’s website, which links to the Department of Health’s Opioid Settlement Activity Status Report.	To find updates on the local share, a good starting point is to check the websites for your county executive, city council, or local health department.	A single resource containing updates specific to the state’s 15% share updates could not be found. See the AG’s general Opioid Settlements page.