Act No. 157 Page 1 of 1
2024
This act summary is provided for the convenience of the public and members of the General Assembly. It
is intended to provide a general summary of the act and may not be exhaustive. It has been prepared by the
staff of the Office of Legislative Counsel without input from members of the General Assembly. It is not
intended to aid in the interpretation of legislation or to serve as a source of legislative intent.
Act No. 157 (H.622). An act relating to emergency medical services
Subjects: Medicaid; health; emergency medical services; ambulance services
This act directs the Commissioner of Health to prioritize the use of funds from the
Emergency Medical Services Special Fund to programs offering basic emergency
medical services (EMS) training at low or no cost to participants and to make reasonable
efforts to award grants in a way that supports geographic equity among the EMS districts.
It requires the Agency of Human Services (AHS), to the extent permitted under federal
law, to reimburse EMS providers at the Medicare basic life support rate for delivering
emergency medical services to a Medicaid beneficiary who was treated but was not
transported. The act appropriates $74,000.00 in State and federal dollars in fiscal year
2025 for the enhanced reimbursement rate. The act also requires AHS to report annually
as part of its budget presentation on what it would cost to reimburse EMS providers at
Medicare rates for all emergency medical services they deliver to Medicaid beneficiaries.
The act modifies the EMS Advisory Committee’s annual report requirement to focus
on developing and maintaining a five-year statewide plan, to be updated at least annually,
for the coordinated delivery of emergency medical services in Vermont and to report
annually on the Committee’s progress on achieving the goals in the plan and the
Committee’s goals for the coming year. The act also directs the EMS Advisory
Committee to conduct an inventory and assessment of EMS services currently available
in Vermont by December 15, 2025, and to provide recommendations for the design of a
statewide EMS system by December 15, 2026. It appropriates $150,000.00 from the
EMS Special Fund in fiscal year 2025 to support the EMS Advisory Committee’s work,
with up to an additional $220,000.00 available if there are unobligated funds remaining in
the Special Fund in fiscal year 2025. The act also increases the total amount of annual
funding assessed across property and casualty insurers to support the Fire Safety Special
Fund by $300,000.00, with the increased amount directed to the EMS Special Fund.
Multiple effective dates, beginning on June 6, 2024
VT LEG #378019 v.2


Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 18-901, 24-2689, 18-909
As Passed By the House -- Official: 18-901, 24-2689, 18-909, 18-908, 32-8557
As Passed By the House -- Unofficial: 18-901, 18-908, 24-2689, 18-909, 32-8557
As Passed by Both House and Senate -- Official: 18-901, 24-2689, 18-909, 18-908, 32-8557
As Passed by Both House and Senate -- Unofficial: 18-901, 18-908, 24-2689, 18-909, 32-8557
As Enacted: 18-901, 18-908, 24-2689, 18-909, 32-8557