ASSEMBLY HEALTH COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 3772

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  DECEMBER 5, 2022

      The Assembly Health Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 3772.

     This bill revises the requirements to receive reimbursement from the “Emergency Medical Technician Training Fund.”

     Currently, any private agency, organization, or entity which is certified by the Commissioner of Health to provide training and testing for volunteer ambulance, first aid and rescue squad personnel who are seeking certification or recertification as an emergency medical technician (EMT) may be reimbursed from the fund for any costs associated with the training and testing of volunteer EMTs that are not otherwise reimbursed.  Volunteer ambulance, first aid and rescue squads are eligible for reimbursement from the fund if the squad does not receive any payment for the provision of emergency medical services, regardless of whether the individual EMTs on the squad are paid by the squad for their services.

     This bill revises these requirements to provide that an entity may be eligible for reimbursement from the fund for the unreimbursed costs of training and certifying a volunteer EMT, regardless of whether the entity charges for the provision of basic life support services.  A “volunteer EMT” is defined under the bill to mean an EMT who provides basic life support services without receiving any compensation, such as an hourly wage or a salary.  The bill additionally allows the fund to be used to cover the unreimbursed costs of EMT continuing education classes for volunteer EMTs.  The priority for reimbursement from the fund would be:  initial EMT training and certification classes; EMT refresher recertification classes, including Core A, B, and C classes; and EMT elective continuing education classes.

     The bill requires that all reimbursements from the fund be promptly paid upon receipt of a qualifying application for reimbursement, which payment is to be made to the agency, organization or entity that provided training to the volunteer emergency medical technician.

     The bill provides that the head of each ambulance, first aid and rescue squad will be required to notify the Department of Health whenever an individual who received initial EMT training from the squad, for which training the squad received reimbursement from the fund, ceases to serve as a volunteer EMT within a given three-year certification period.  The Commissioner of Health will be authorized to establish a process to seek reimbursement from EMTs that cease to be volunteers for monies paid out of the fund in connection with the EMT’s training, testing, certification, recertification, or elective continuing education classes, as appropriate, for that three-year certification period.