Care-facility inspections
How nursing homes and care facilities in Vermont are inspected, licensed, and held to account.
5 laws · 11 enforcement actions · 4 guides · 1 court decision
See the details
The laws 5
- 33 V.S.A. Chapter 71, Regulation of Long-Term Care Facilities — Subchapter 001 General Provisions (§7101 Policy, §7102 Definitions); Subchapter 002 Licensing of Long-Term Care Facilities (§§7103-7118, incl. legislature.vermont.gov
- 33 V.S.A. §7111, Enforcement; protection of residents — the licensing agency (DAIL/DLP) 'shall enforce the provisions of this chapter to protect residents of facilities,' may require corrective action within a specified time, and may take f… legislature.vermont.gov
- 33 V.S.A. §7201, Policy (opening section of Chapter 71's Receivership Proceedings subchapter) — states that Vermont's facility-receivership mechanism exists 'to ensure safe surroundings, adequate care, and humane treatment' and to protect r… legislature.vermont.gov
- 33 V.S.A. Chapter 73, Nursing Home Residents' Bill of Rights — §7301 Nursing Home Residents' Bill of Rights, §7302 Adoption of grievance procedure, §7303 Notice to residents; legislature.vermont.gov
- 33 V.S.A. §7304, Administrative penalty — authorizes the Commissioner of Disabilities, Aging, and Independent Living, after a hearing, to impose an administrative penalty of up to $1,000 against a facility or facility employee who violates… legislature.vermont.gov
Know your rights 4
- Guide to Choosing a Nursing Home — DLP's consumer-facing guidance covering home visits, how to read a facility's survey inspection report, quality-of-life/quality-of-care factors, an evaluation checklist, and follow-up steps. dlp.vermont.gov
- Resident Rights guidance page — explains resident rights by facility type (nursing home; residential care home/assisted living residence; dlp.vermont.gov
- Vermont Civil Money Penalty (CMP) Grant Program guidance — explains how federally imposed civil money penalty funds collected from noncompliant Vermont nursing facilities are reinvested through a state grant program for the benefit of resid… dlp.vermont.gov
- DAIL Background Check Policy — the Department's compliance framework for criminal-background checks of staff at DAIL-licensed/funded providers (including long-term care facilities), describing when a check is required and what occurs if a c… dail.vermont.gov
Enforcement actions 4
- DLP's Survey Statements portal — the Division's public index, by facility type (Nursing Home, Residential Care Home, Assisted Living Residence, Therapeutic Community Residence, Home Health & Hospice, Hospital, End State Renal Dialysis, Rura… dlp.vermont.gov
- DLP's Facilities-by-County directory — links to per-county lists of every licensed facility (by name) with its individual Survey Statements; the mechanism by which DLP publishes named-facility inspection/enforcement records. dlp.vermont.gov
- Example named-facility enforcement record: Barre Gardens Nursing and Rehab (Barre, VT) — an Investigation Survey statement dated September 2, 2026, one of DLP's per-facility survey/deficiency statements documenting a state licensing-agency… dlp.vermont.gov
- Commissioner of the Department of Disabilities, Aging, and Independent Living v. Homestead at Pillsbury et al., No. 618-11-18 Wncv (Washington Superior Ct., Civil Div., Teachout, J., Jan. vtcourts.gov
Orders & settlements 7
- DLP's 'Facility Regulations' index — the Division of Licensing and Protection's own licensing-rule library for long-term care and health care facilities, linking the current Nursing Home, RCH/ALR, Home Health Agency, Therapeutic Community R… dlp.vermont.gov
- Nursing Home Regulations (effective June 2018) — DAIL/DLP's Licensing and Operating Rules for Nursing Homes, implementing state and federal licensing, operation, and standard-of-care requirements for Vermont nursing homes. dail.vermont.gov
- Assisted Living Residence and Residential Care Home Licensing Regulations (effective April 1, 2025) — combined ALR/RCH licensing regulations designed to protect resident welfare and rights and ensure quality of care. dail.vermont.gov
- Therapeutic Community Residences Licensing Regulations (effective March 15, 2025) — DLP's licensing rules for Vermont's therapeutic community residences. dail.vermont.gov
- Regulations for the Designation and Operation of Home Health Agencies (October 2019) — implements state law governing designation, re-designation, and designation-revocation of, and minimum program standards for, Vermont home health agencie… dail.vermont.gov
- Licensing Regulations for Homes for the Terminally Ill (October 2001) — licensing rules for Vermont facilities serving terminally ill residents, designed to foster personal independence and a home-like environment. dail.vermont.gov
- Amended Interim Agency of Human Services Process to Assess Transfer of Nursing Home Ownership — AHS/DAIL's administrative process governing review of changes in nursing-home ownership or controlling interest. humanservices.vermont.gov
Court decisions 1
Official notices 3
- DLP's News page — the Division's provider-bulletin/announcement archive covering proposed and adopted licensing-rule changes, APS annual reports, and consumer-guide releases. dlp.vermont.gov
- 'Adopted Residential Care Home (RCH) and Assisted Living Residences (ALR) Licensing Regulations' — DLP provider notice (December 13, 2024) announcing adoption of the current combined RCH/ALR licensing rule. dlp.vermont.gov
- 'Vermont Announces Rural Health Transformation Projects to Strengthen Vermont's Long-Term Care System' (DAIL News, September 10, 2026) — announces roughly $2.7 million in federal Rural Health Transformation funding awarded to three named nu… dail.vermont.gov