I sometimes have issues removing my Vise IT slug from some balls. I usually use my thumb to remove the IT but if it gets stuck I end up irritating my thumb and it starts to swell. I see there is a IT remover tool available but before I purchase it I was wondering if there were any alternatives I can go to a store and buy?

Probably but the tool itself isn't very expensive.  If they're sticky and tight though, that's an installation problem.  Now it took me a million of them to get it right, but I have no issues now but there are quite a few extra steps you have to go through beyond what they say to do to ensure that sticking won't be a problem anymore. 

What extra steps need to be taken? I'll mention them to my driller. Is there anything I can do after the install to remedy the issue?

Have your ball driller, drill a 1 3/8 bit into the existing thumb holes that give you a problem. Be careful not to drill the bottom out, but this does the trick for any problems I've had. 

Some drillers have gone to 1/2 length inner sleeves rather than the full length.  Some sleeves have come loose before Vise and or drillers abraded the inner sleeve before gluing them in.  If too tight it is a installation issue.  Though I do think on a ball or two I have had the core/shell swelled which makes sense since this is where the cracking issues come from over time.

Also, I manufactured a IT thumb remover by measuring a golf club grip to the correct diameter and cutting off the butt end of the shaft with grip intact.  Works as well as anything out there.  I am a clubmaker/fitter so have lots of old shafts laying around.  If you have some old clubs that you don't need and are more or less junk this works very well.  For most diameters about 4" to 5" down from the butt end fits most thumb hole sizes.

What I meant by inner sleeve was the ring that goes in to the top of the hole

That's how I look at also Brian.  Many drillers are using half length sleeves rather than the original full length inner sleeve.

Many times the problem is with the top sleeve.  Many drillers still use the file to open up the upper part of the ball before installing the top sleeve. This can cause the upper part of the ball to be out of round and when you install the top sleeve, it will be off just enough to make the slug go in tight. Do not use the file anymore.  Just sand the upper portion of the ball and insert the top sleeve.  This will resolve most of the problems.  Also, if your driller still has the longer top sleeves, ask him to cut them in half before he inserts it into the ball.