Vail’s Municipal Reimbursement Bill Approved by Legislature

HARTFORD – State Representative Kurt Vail (R-Stafford) co-sponsored legislation that was approved by the House of Representatives on Wednesday evening in order to update the Department of Correction (DOC) reimbursement formula in the event an inmate needs to be transported to a hospital for medical care. Prior to the positive legislative action on the bill, municipalities were not being reimbursed for the ambulatory transportation services required for such operations.

“Prior to the passage of this bill, it was difficult for many municipalities in which correctional facilities are housed to pay for medical transportation services,” explained Rep. Vail, who was a co-sponsor of the legislation and also represents the Town of Somers. “As a result of its passage, municipalities, like Somers, will not bear the financial burdens of getting ill inmates to essential medical services.”

The legislation calls for the DOC commissioner, before October 1, 2019, to revise the department’s payment methodology for ambulance services a municipality provides to an inmate who requires transfer services to a hospital. If the transported inmate does not have private health insurance, then DOC will reimburse the municipality for the ambulance services at the same rate it is contractually obligated to pay non-municipal ambulance service providers.

As a result of concurring legislative action, the bill heads to Governor Lamont’s desk where he has the options to sign it into law, veto it, or take no action and let the legislation become state law on its own.

###