33 V.S.A. § 143
This is the official text of 33 V.S.A. § 143, part of Vermont’s V.S.A — part of the compiled statutory law of Vermont, published by the state as "V.S.A." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
§ 143. General penalty
Official statutory text
(a) A person who knowingly violates a provision of this title for which no penalty is specifically provided shall:
(1) if the assistance or benefits obtained pursuant to a single fraudulent scheme or a course of conduct are in violation of subsection 141(a) or (b) of this title involving $1,000.00 or less, be fined not more than the amount of assistance or benefits wrongfully obtained or be imprisoned not more than one year, or both;
(2) if the assistance or benefits obtained pursuant to a single fraudulent scheme or course of conduct are in violation of subsection (a) or (b) of section 141 of this title and involve more than $1,000.00, be fined not more than an amount equal to the assistance or benefits wrongfully obtained or be imprisoned not more than three years, or both; or
(3) if the violation is under subsection (c), (d), or (e) of section 141 of this title, be fined up to $1,000.00 or up to an amount equal to twice the amount of assistance, benefits, or payments wrongfully obtained, or be imprisoned for not more than 10 years, or both.
(b) If the person convicted is receiving assistance, benefits, or payments, the Commissioner for Children and Families or the Commissioner of Vermont Health Access may recoup the amount of assistance or benefits wrongfully obtained by reducing the assistance, benefits, or payments periodically paid to the recipient, as limited by federal law, until the amount is fully recovered.
(c) If a provider of services is convicted of a violation of subsection 141(d) or (e) of this title, the Commissioner of Vermont Health Access shall, within 90 days of the conviction, suspend the provider from further participation in the medical assistance program administered under Title XIX of the Social Security Act for a period of four years. The suspension required by this subsection may be waived by the Secretary of Human Services only upon a finding that the recipients served by the convicted provider would suffer substantial hardship through a denial of medical services that could not reasonably be obtained through another provider.
(1) if the assistance or benefits obtained pursuant to a single fraudulent scheme or a course of conduct are in violation of subsection 141(a) or (b) of this title involving $1,000.00 or less, be fined not more than the amount of assistance or benefits wrongfully obtained or be imprisoned not more than one year, or both;
(2) if the assistance or benefits obtained pursuant to a single fraudulent scheme or course of conduct are in violation of subsection (a) or (b) of section 141 of this title and involve more than $1,000.00, be fined not more than an amount equal to the assistance or benefits wrongfully obtained or be imprisoned not more than three years, or both; or
(3) if the violation is under subsection (c), (d), or (e) of section 141 of this title, be fined up to $1,000.00 or up to an amount equal to twice the amount of assistance, benefits, or payments wrongfully obtained, or be imprisoned for not more than 10 years, or both.
(b) If the person convicted is receiving assistance, benefits, or payments, the Commissioner for Children and Families or the Commissioner of Vermont Health Access may recoup the amount of assistance or benefits wrongfully obtained by reducing the assistance, benefits, or payments periodically paid to the recipient, as limited by federal law, until the amount is fully recovered.
(c) If a provider of services is convicted of a violation of subsection 141(d) or (e) of this title, the Commissioner of Vermont Health Access shall, within 90 days of the conviction, suspend the provider from further participation in the medical assistance program administered under Title XIX of the Social Security Act for a period of four years. The suspension required by this subsection may be waived by the Secretary of Human Services only upon a finding that the recipients served by the convicted provider would suffer substantial hardship through a denial of medical services that could not reasonably be obtained through another provider.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in Vermont?
Find a Vermont lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.