IRS exempts firefighters from ACA employer mandate

Volunteer firefighters and emergency responders will be exempt from the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate, according to a letter from the IRS and Department of the Treasury to Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) on Monday.

The ACA’s requirement that all organizations with more than 50 staffers provide health insurance to employees who work at least 30 hours a week or face a penalty would have gutted firehouses in communities across America, according to opponents of the provision.

“Volunteer firefighters play a vital role in keeping our communities safe each and every day,” Collins said. “It was unacceptable that an undue burden could have been placed on volunteer fire departments and communities across the country under the healthcare law, and I am pleased that the administration listened to our concerns and clarified this ambiguity in the law.”

Collins and Sens. Mark Warner (R-Va.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Angus King (I-Maine) sent a letter to the IRS and Department of Treasury in December requesting the exemption for volunteer firefighters from the employee mandate.

“I am pleased that the administration listened to the concerns of fire departments across the country and clarified provisions in the tax code that make sure our volunteer fire departments and emergency response agencies will not be punished by a technical error in the health care law,” Manchin said. “Now that there is a clear distinction between full-time, paid emergency responders and volunteers, our emergency response teams can keep our communities safe without the threat of reducing necessary funding for training or emergency response hours.”