The Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI), the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) and the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), are currently working with members of Congress and the Administration to address the potential impact that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) could have on volunteer fire departments throughout the nation.
According to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) (P.L. 111-148), employers with more than 50 full-time employees (or their equivalents (FTE)) must provide health insurance to employees that work more than 30 hours per week. Unfortunately, the Internal Revenue Service has ruled that volunteer firefighters that receive nominal benefits from their fire departments (including stipends, end-of-the-year banquets and awards) count as "employees" of fire departments. An unintended consequence of this IRS ruling is that fire departments may have to provide health insurance to volunteers that serve more than 30 hours per week at their local fire department. The effect of this provision could cause serious financial hardship to fire departments. Many volunteer fire departments rely upon local donations and fundraisers to fund their basic operations. The addition of a requirement to provide health insurance would present a serious financial challenge to them. Although the final regulations have not been codified, the aforementioned organizations are working with a bipartisan group of members of Congress to address this potential consequence of the PPACA. The NVFC, IAFC, and several members of Congress have sent letters to the IRS asking Acting-Commissioner Werfel to release regulations or guidance stating volunteers who receive nominal compensation will not be considered employees under PPACA. On December 10, 2013, Senator Mark Warner (VA) and Congressman Lou Barletta (PA-11) introduced the Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act (H.R. 3685 and S. 1798). The legislation ensures that volunteers are not counted as full-time employees under the shared responsibility requirements contained in PPACA. CFSI, NVFC and IAFC will continue to provide updates to the fire service as these efforts are being addressed on Capitol Hill and within the Administration. Please visit our website sites (www.cfsi.org, www.nvfc.org, www.iafc.org) for the latest information. Contact: Bill Webb (CFSI) (202) 371-1277 BWebb@cfsi.org Ann Davison(IAFC) 703-537-4829 ADavison@iafc.org Dave Finger (NVFC) (202) 887-5700 ext. 112 DFinger@nvfc.org
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Enrollment is now Open for the HB3667 Rural VFD Insurance Program Overview... The 77th Texas Legislature (HB3667) created the Rural VFD Insurance Program and is funded by a 2% sales tax on the sale of fireworks. The program provides reimbursement grants for Texas firefighters to obtain workers compensation, death and disability insurance from private insurance companies. Each year more than 400 fire departments and 11,000 firefighters take advantage of the grant offering. Who is eligible... Any chartered, non-profit volunteer or part-paid/volunteer fire department is eligible, provided the number of paid members is 20 or less. All qualified departments must participate in a firefighter certification program administered under Section 419.071 of the Texas Government Code (Texas Commission on Fire Protection), or by the State Firemen’s and Fire Marshal’s Association of Texas(SFFMA), or by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group(NWCG). What is eligible... Any combination of compensation insurance for firefighters (Workers' Compensation, Death, and/or Disability Insurance) is eligible. The insurance coverage must include a workers' compensation or similar benefit, and a death benefit. Departments may enter into agreements with cities or counties in order to qualify for coverage and/or special premiums. How much will it pay... The program will reimburse 100% of the actual cost of eligible insurance coverage, up to a maximum of $105.00 per fire department member covered in the calendar year 2014. How to apply... It's easy, simply complete the following forms and submit via fax or mail. Please submit these forms only once during the enrollment period of December 2013 thru August 2014.
FAX: (979) 845-6160 Mail: Texas A&M Forest Service Capacity Building Department 200 Technology Way, Suite 1162 College Station, TX 77845-3424 For more information... Call: 979-458-6505 Email: ffins@tfs.tamu.edu We had a great time at the 2013 Texas EMS Conference last week at the Fort Worth Convention Center. We hope you did too! (Pictured from L-R are David Hubbard, Barbara Marzean, Stephanie Dew, & Tom Van Wyngarden). Make sure to follow us on Instagram @ www.instagram.com/vfistx |
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