Sponsored by:
Assemblyman BRIAN E. RUMPF
District 9 (Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes reimbursement eligibility for fingerprinting costs under “Emergency Medical Technician Training Fund.”
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the “Emergency Medical Technician Training Fund” and amending P.L.1992, c.143.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 4 of P.L.1992, c.143 (C.26:2K-57) is amended to read as follows:
4. a. (1) The commissioner, in accordance with recommendations adopted by the council, and within the limits of those monies in the fund, shall annually reimburse any private agency, organization, or entity, which is certified by the commissioner to provide training and testing for ambulance, first aid, and rescue squad, for costs associated with personnel who are seeking certification or recertification as a volunteer emergency medical technician, [for which costs that] if the agency, organization, or entity is not otherwise reimbursed for such costs. An agency, organization, or entity that provides training and testing to volunteer emergency medical technicians and volunteer emergency medical technician candidates shall be eligible for reimbursement from the fund regardless of whether the ambulance, first aid, and rescue squad employing or utilizing the services of the volunteer emergency medical technician receives any payment or reimbursement for providing emergency medical services. The priority for reimbursement from the fund to an agency, organization, or entity for training and testing of ambulance, first aid, and rescue squad personnel shall be in the following order: initial emergency medical technician certification and emergency medical technician refresher recertification classes.
(2) Fingerprinting costs for personnel who are seeking certification or recertification as a volunteer emergency medical technician shall be eligible for reimbursement from monies in the fund.
b. All reimbursements from the fund shall be promptly paid upon receipt of a qualifying application for reimbursement, which payment shall be made to the agency, organization, or entity that provided training to the volunteer emergency medical technician.
c. (1) The head of the ambulance, first aid, and rescue squad employing or utilizing the services of an emergency medical technician, who received initial emergency medical technician training from an agency, organization, or entity that received reimbursement from the fund for providing the initial emergency medical technician training to that emergency medical technician, shall determine the emergency medical technician to be a volunteer in good standing, provided that the emergency medical technician works at least one service call per month during the initial three-year certification period as a volunteer emergency medical technician.
(2) The head of the ambulance, first aid, and rescue squad shall seek reimbursement from the emergency medical technician, if the emergency medical technician ceases to be a volunteer in good standing, for monies paid out of the fund in connection with that emergency medical technician's training, testing, certification, or recertification, as appropriate, in connection with the initial three-year certification period in which the emergency medical technician ceased to be a volunteer in good standing. However, an emergency medical technician who ceases to be a volunteer in good standing in order to attend a public or private institution of higher education shall not be responsible for reimbursing the fund. The Department of Health shall exercise oversight authority over the collection of funds pursuant to this paragraph.
d. As used in this section:
"Public or private institution of higher education" means any public university or college or any private college, university, or institute incorporated and located in New Jersey, which by virtue of law or character or license is a nonprofit educational institution authorized to grant academic degrees, provides a level of education equivalent to the education provided by the State's public institutions of higher education as attested by the receipt of and continuation of regional accreditation by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, and is eligible to receive State aid under the provisions of the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey.
"Volunteer emergency medical technician" means an emergency medical technician who provides basic life support services without receiving compensation in the form of an hourly wage, a salary, or any other form of financial remuneration provided for or in connection with the provision of basic life support services. A volunteer emergency medical technician shall not include an individual employed full-time by a general or special hospital licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.) as an emergency medical technician.
(cf: P.L.2024, c.68)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes reimbursement eligibility for fingerprinting costs under the “Emergency Medical Technician Training Fund” (fund).
Under current law, the Commissioner of Health is to annually reimburse any private agency, organization, or entity, which is certified by the commissioner to provide training and testing, for costs associated with ambulance, first aid, and rescue squad personnel who are seeking certification or recertification as a volunteer emergency medical technician, if such costs to that agency, organization, or entity are not otherwise reimbursed. This bill provides that fingerprinting costs for personnel seeking certification or recertification as volunteer emergency medical technicians are eligible for reimbursement from monies in the fund.