Emergency Medical Services - Funding Assistance Program
(EMS-FAP)
History of the Program
The 1989 Wisconsin
Act 102 became law on December 20, 1989. This law provided funding to
certain ambulance services that provide first-in 9-1-1 patient transport
ambulance response to a particular geographic area. The
original formula has been modified over the years.
The current annual allocation is authorized by State statute
256.12(4).
Funds are now disseminated via a plan approved as part of the current
budget bill. This consists
of a two part formula payment on behalf of each transporting ambulance
service and includes a base sum plus a factor based on run volume,
service area, population, and EMT roster size.
Per 256.12(4), funds allocated
under this program shall "supplement existing budgeted monies of or
provided to an ambulance service provider and may not be used to
replace, decrease or release for alternative purposes the existing
budgeted monies of or provided to the ambulance service provider".
In short, EMS-FAP dollars cannot be used to reduce existing EMS
funding. The statute
also allows that EMS-FAP funding can be used for the purchase of
ambulance vehicles, vehicle equipment and emergency medical service
non-disposable supplies and equipment as well as emergency medical
training for ambulance service personnel.
Application for Funding
Each year, the ambulance service provider is asked to
complete an application form. The
application timeline process is as follow:
- Application materials will be available to providers at the Emergency
Medical Services homepage.
- Applications are due by 1700 Hours May 15, 2013 of the current
fiscal year.
- Any incomplete applications received on or after May 15, 2013 will be denied.
- Disbursement will be made to the services no later than August 31,
2013.
- Expenditure reports for the previous state fiscal year should be
submitted to our office with the current year's application.
Accountability
The EMS Unit is tasked with accountability for the
distribution and use of the FAP money.
Funds
cannot be used to supplant existing budgets and that the funds are to be
used to support and improve the ambulance service.
The expense
reporting period includes the previous FULL state fiscal year.
For SFY 2014, the expense report submitted should include SFY 2013 (July
1, 2011 to June 30, 2012).
Part of our statutory and fiscal responsibility requires that we review
and approve expenses. In the past we have found some questionable
purchases. Please review the updated expense form for clarification of
allowable expenses.
Examples of appropriate
expenditures would include: initial
and/or refresher training expenses, a new ambulance, ambulance equipment
or defibrillators, mileage and/or stipend for attending EMS training,
training officer salary, contractual training on various subjects,
computers and computer software purchased for training purposes, various
pieces of hard/durable medical equipment to be placed on the ambulance,
etc. Any of these items are
appropriate as are many others, as long as the funds are not used to
fund expenses that are already included in your normal operating budget.
EMS-FAP funds should not be used to
pay for everyday maintenance, but major unexpected repairs and
unexpected vehicle and equipment replacements may be appropriate.
Examples of other inappropriate expenditures would be the
purchase of medical supplies for restocking the ambulance, purchase of
fire trucks and fire supplies, banquet dinner and bar bills, gifts, etc.
If you have a doubt about an appropriate expenditure, contact the EMS-FAP
program coordinator for a determination.
Payee Information
As part of the application, the ambulance service provider is
asked to designate their "type of service". Choices
include: municipal/public agency, non-stock non-profit corporation,
private for-profit corporation, and other. State accounting policies
mandate that checks for a public agency be paid to the treasurer of a
municipality. (Checks for
ambulance service providers that are public agencies are made payable to
the designated municipality.) Wisconsin
Statute 256.12 mandates that allocations to private-for-profit ambulance
services be paid to the contracting municipality.
Checks for ambulance service providers that are for-profit
services are also made payable to the designated municipality.
If the ambulance service is organized as a non-profit corporation
under chapter 181 Wis. Stats., the check is made payable to the ambulance service.
Municipalities are given specific
instructions with each check on what the EMS-FAP funds are to be used
for. The municipality can
chose to: 1) turn over the check to the ambulance service; 2) run the
check through its books and issue a new check to the ambulance service;
or 3) keep the money and records of the money and pay the ambulance
service as it presents invoices/paid receipts for appropriate
expenditures. In any case,
the money must be allocated to the ambulance service provider.
For further information please contact the EMS-FAP program
coordinator at (608) 261-9306 or via email at Paul.Wittkamp@wisconsin.gov.
Current EMS-FAP Documents
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