WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Angus King (I-ME), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Mark Begich (D-AK) announced today that volunteer emergency service workers will not be requiredto be counted as full-time equivalent employees for purposes of healthcare coverage, which could have gutted the ranks of emergency first responders across the country. In a response to a letter the Senators sent in December, the U.S. Department of Treasury and Internal Revenue Service agreed today to exempt volunteer emergency responders from the healthcare mandate.
Some volunteer firefighters are nominally paid, and most volunteer first responders have other full-time employment. Many emergency response agencies do not have the resources to provide pay or benefits to volunteers, nor do most volunteer first responders expect to receive compensation or health coverage as a result of their volunteer public service. Approximately 750,000 volunteer firefighters serve in 20,000 all-volunteer and 5,000 combination career-volunteer fire departments throughout the United States.
“This is a huge victory for volunteer emergency responders and the communities that rely on them,” Sen. Warner said. “I’ve said all along that there will be issues that arise with health care reform and that we should work in a bipartisan way to fix them. I am proud that together, we were able to solve this issue and keep America’s first responders working for their communities.”
“I am pleased that the Administration listened to the concerns of fire departments across the country and clarified provisions in the tax code that make sure our volunteer fire departments and emergency response agencies will not be punished by a technical error in the health care law. Now that there is a clear distinction between full-time, paid emergency responders and volunteers, our emergency response teams can keep our communities safe without the threat of reducing necessary funding for training or emergency response hours,” said Sen. Manchin.
"This is great news for first responders in Pennsylvania,” said Sen. Toomey. “Our commonwealth has the largest number of volunteer fire departments in the country. They play a crucial role in protecting Pennsylvanians each and every day. I am pleased that the Administration heard the bipartisan call to protect these fire departments from one of the devastating consequences of Obamacare. Pennsylvania is fortunate to have so many dedicated volunteers willing to risk their lives for their fellow citizens and the least we can do is help them keep their doors open."
“I could not be more pleased the Administration will heed our call to exempt volunteer firefighters from this mandate,” said Sen. King. “I’ve always said that I would work with my colleagues to improve aspects of the Affordable Care Act, and this resolution is an example of how we can effectively work through issues that inevitably arise with the implementation of any new law. Thanks to this clarification, volunteer firefighters across Maine and the nation will be able to continue bravely serving and protecting our communities without the fear of having to deal with the unintended consequences of inclusion under the law.”
“Volunteer firefighters play a vital role in keeping our communities safe each and every day,” Senator Collins said. “It was unacceptable that an undue burden could have been placed on volunteer fire departments and communities across the country under the health care law, and I am pleased that the Administration listened to our concerns and clarified this ambiguity in the law.”
“These first responder organizations in Alaska and throughout the country need to know that they have the necessary resources to keep offering their services ," said Sen. Begich. "The success of this effort to make sure volunteer firefighters are not unfairly burdened shows that both sides can come together on common sense policy to compromise and get things done. Today’s news means that these brave men and women who protect our communities every day can focus on their most important role—saving lives."
The letter sent by the group of Senators is available here. The response is available here.