The Washington Update – July 17

NIOSH Releases SCBA Fact Sheets

This week, the U.S. Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program released new resources relating to self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) for firefighters. Specifically, it released:

• A fact sheet explaining the safe use of SCBA for firefighters, including how medical clearance, fit testing, and training for the physical demands can reduce the likelihood of serious or permanent injury for firefighters.
• A fact sheet on how to secure an SCBA after adverse conditions, serious injury, or a line-of-duty death.
• A fact sheet on how to report SCBA failures or performance issues to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

Please Contact CMS to Preserve the GEMT Program

On May 22, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a proposed rule on Medicaid Program; Medicaid Managed Care State Directed Payments and Medicaid Fee-for-Service Targeted Medicaid Practitioner Payments in the Federal Register. This rule was proposed in response to the Medicaid reforms from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA; P.L. 119-21). Specifically, it caps most Medicaid add-on payments at the Medicare reimbursement rate. Many EMS leaders are concerned that this rule will cap Medicaid payments under Ground Emergency Medical Transportation (GEMT) programs.

The IAFC Government Relations & Policy Department published a blog post breaking down the potential impact of the proposed rule. The public comment portal for the rule is open until July 21. IAFC members are encouraged to comment on the potential impact of the proposed rule. Members may use the IAFC Action Center to send prewritten comments to the public comment portal.