State adjusts gathering rule, gives update on tax form debacle
The Ottauquechee River Trail proceeds alongside its namesake in Woodstock, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
With continued progress on the vaccine front, Vermont announced another change in its statewide COVID-19 health guidance on Tuesday.
Effective immediately, anyone who has been fully vaccinated may gather with another household, whether the other household is vaccinated or not. This only applies to one household at a time, Gov. Phil Scott said at a press briefing. This is the first change in this restriction, since Vermont enacted its statewide ban on multi-household gatherings shortly before the holiday season.
Last week, the state removed the quarantine rule for fully vaccinated travelers — effective two weeks after the second dose — for both residents and visitors. Amid Tuesday’s rule change, the state continues to study other potential opportunities to loosen guidance for vaccinated people. However, Scott emphasized this is a methodical process.
“As a reminder, we’re doing this because CDC guidance changed earlier this month, because they concluded that not only do vaccines protect you from COVID-19, but they also protect you from spreading it, which is very encouraging news,” Scott said.
If Vermont’s vaccination progress is any indication, further adjustments to statewide restrictions are likely in the coming weeks. Effective next Monday, the state will open vaccination appointments to all Vermonters age 65 and older. As of Tuesday, over 91,000 Vermonters had been vaccinated against the virus — that’s about 15% of the state’s population. That total includes 66% of Vermonters in the 75+ age group, and 18% of residents ages 70-74.
In the next few weeks, the state plans to open appointment registration to people in high-risk health categories who are between the ages of 16 and 64, according to Human Services Secretary Mike Smith. He urged people in that group not to call their health providers about appointments, saying the state will have more information about that phase next week.
As he has for the past two weeks, Scott entered Tuesday’s briefing with more good news from a weekly U.S. governors’ call with White House officials. The governor reported that U.S. vaccine doses are increasing by 1 million, meaning that Vermont will receive 1,000 more weekly doses over the next three weeks. Federal officials also hope the new Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine will receive emergency use authorization this week. Additionally, the vaccine distribution delays caused in multiple states by the recording-breaking winter storm should be resolved by Friday, though this wasn’t an issue for Vermont’s supply.
On the call, White House and CDC leaders emphasized to governors that, despite progress on vaccines, precautions are still important.
“It’s as important as ever to follow public health guidance, even as we’re able to make important steps forward,” Scott said.
He again mentioned that other potential changes to statewide restrictions are being explored.
“We’ll have more to share in the week ahead, but we’re moving in the right direction,” Scott said.
New 1099-G tax forms hitting the mail soon
With tax day fast approaching, Vermonters who filed for unemployment in 2020 should be receiving their 1099-G forms later next week. Many thousands of forms sent earlier this month were recalled after a colossal mailing error led to a breach of private information, including forms with other people’s social security numbers heading to the wrong addresses.
On Tuesday, Vermont Department of Labor Commissioner Michael Harrington again apologized to Vermonters for the breach.
“I know this has been unsettling and it’s caused additional stress and worry during a time where there is already so much uncertainty,” Harrington said at a Tuesday press briefing.
He acknowledged people are eager to receive their new documents, and they should expect them later next week.
“Ensuring the new information is the best it can be has been our top priority for the last three weeks,” Harrington said.
During the month, return envelopes had gone out to 1099-G claimants so they could easily return 1099-G forms that had been improperly mailed. He noted that if anyone had received a return envelope, but hadn’t received their tax document, that likely means their 1099-G form had been stopped before it could go out.
As previously announced, Vermont is offering identity theft protection in this case.
“By now, all 2020 unemployment claimants have been mailed a letter with details and instructions on how to enroll in identity theft protection services being offered by the state, at no additional cost to the individual,” Harrington said.
Most people should receive that notice by the end of this week. Claimants have until May 18 to enroll, and the protection is retroactive to Jan. 29.
When the new forms go out, some Vermonters will receive more than one 1099-G, but that’s no mistake. Harrington explained that during the 2020 calendar year, his department administered nine different types of benefits through five different programs. Because of this, someone enrolled in multiple programs will receive more than one 1099-G form.
The state is awaiting the results of an independent audit to determine what caused the breach, and there have been no reports of fraud or identity theft connected with it so far, according to news reports.
In the coming days, claimants can view updates on this situation on the Vermont Department of Labor website, or call 877-214-3332 and select option 1 for the latest 1099-G news.
With tax day coming on April 15, most claimants should have about a month to file their taxes, Harrington said. Anyone concerned about being able to file on time should go to tax.vermont.gov for more information.
— Gareth Henderson
