Senate Bill 2212 amends various sections of the Tennessee Code Annotated to establish clearer guidelines for filing claims related to compensation for emergency responders who die in the line of duty. Specifically, it modifies Section 7-51-210(c) to require that claims for annuity payments must be submitted to the Department of Finance and Administration within three years of either the decedent's death or the issuance of a final order designating the death as in the line of duty. Additionally, the bill revises Section 7-51-210(e) to outline the review process for denied claims, specifying that claims from law enforcement officers, firefighters, volunteer rescue squad workers, and emergency medical technicians will be reviewed by their respective commissions within one year of denial.

The bill ensures that the review process is binding and mandates that final orders or determinations be delivered to the claimant's estate and the Department of Finance and Administration. It also stipulates that the commissioner may provide testimony regarding the reasons for denying a claim but will not participate in the review process itself. This legislation is set to take effect upon becoming law and is retroactively applicable to claims dating back to March 1, 2020.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 7-51-210(c), 7-51-210, 7-51-210(e)