FEMA Awards Vermont Nearly $3 Million For COVID Emergency Testing Costs

BOSTON – The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending almost $3 million to the State of Vermont to reimburse the costs of providing wraparound services for testing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The $2,936,510 Public Assistance grant to the Vermont Agency of Human Services for contracting with CIC Health for various services to support COVID-19 testing around the state between February and July 2022.

Those services included facility rent/lease costs; postage and delivery of the test vials and specimens; tech equipment to set up testing sites; cleaning services and cleaning supplies for the test sites; materials and supplies used at test sites; and contractor labor costs associated with running test sites.

The testing occurred at community-based testing sites for the general public; state buildings and state public facilities; correctional facilities; public and non-profit schools; non-profit long-term care facilities; and public and non-profit summer camps.

“FEMA is pleased to be able to assist the State of Vermont with these costs,” said FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator Lori Ehrlich. “Providing resources for our partners on the front lines of the pandemic fight is critical to their success, and our success as a nation.”

FEMA’s Public Assistance program is an essential source of funding for states and communities recovering from a federally declared disaster or emergency. So far, FEMA has provided over $481 million in grants to Vermont to reimburse the state for pandemic-related expenses.