TITLE 46

MILITIA AND MILITARY AFFAIRS

CHAPTER 9

EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES ACT

46-905.  use and distribution of emergency medical services funds — county accountability. (1) The division shall be responsible for distributing moneys, subject to legislative appropriation, from the emergency medical services vehicle and equipment grant fund created in section 57-830, Idaho Code, to qualifying nonprofit and governmental entities that submit an application for a grant from the fund. Grants from the fund may cover the cost of vehicles and equipment, training, licensing expenses, communication technology, dispatch services, and costs associated with assuring the performance of planned coverage and emergency response, including highway safety and emergency response to motor vehicle accidents.

(a)  The division shall approve grants from the fund based on the following criteria:

(i)   The applicant is a nonprofit or governmental entity that holds a current license as an ambulance or nontransport service issued by the division;

(ii)  The applicant has demonstrated need based on criteria established by the division;

(iii) The applicant has provided verification that it has received the approval and endorsement of a fire district, city, or county within its service area;

(iv)  The applicant has certified that the title to any vehicle purchased with funds from the fund shall be in the name of the fire district, city, or county that endorsed the application and shall submit proof of titling to the division as soon as practicable; and

(v)   The state of Idaho shall retain a security interest in the vehicle to secure the performance of the grant recipient to utilize the vehicle consistent with the intent described in the application.

(b)  Notwithstanding the requirements of paragraph (a)(iii) and (iv) of this subsection, the division is authorized to approve and issue a grant to an applicant in the absence of an endorsement if the endorsement is withheld without adequate justification.

(2)  The division shall be responsible for distributing moneys, subject to legislative appropriation, from the emergency medical services fund created in section 57-829, Idaho Code. Moneys in the fund shall be used exclusively for costs associated with emergency medical services. However, if the legislature appropriates moneys to the fund for sustainability grants to cover personnel and operating costs associated with assuring the sustainability and availability of emergency medical services, applicants may only be approved by the division subject to the following criteria:

(a)  The applicant is a nonprofit or governmental entity that holds a current emergency medical services agency license issued by the division that authorizes the agency as a 911 response agency;

(b)  The application clearly defines the applicant’s service area specific to 911 response;

(c)  The applicant must certify, if it is eligible to bill for services, that it has billed health insurance carriers for at least eighty percent (80%) of eligible billable services it provided in the previous year. If the applicant is newly licensed and does not have twelve (12) months of historical billing information, the applicant must certify that it is currently billing and will continue to bill health insurance carriers for at least eighty percent (80%) of eligible services; and

(d)  If the applicant fulfills the requirements of paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of this subsection, the county in which the applicant provides 911 response services may, in its discretion, endorse the grant application of the requesting entity.

(3)  The provision of emergency medical services is a government function. If the division approves applications for sustainability grants pursuant to subsection (2) of this section, counties are authorized and required to ensure that emergency medical services are reasonably available throughout the county.

(4)  It is the intent of the legislature that counties that accept sustainability grants pursuant to subsection (2) of this section use a portion of the sustainability grant to implement or maintain community health EMS in the service area.

History:

[46-905, added 2025, ch. 94, sec. 2, p. 445; am. 2025, ch. 245, sec. 1, p. 1096.]