RELIEF
PROVISIONS
Reporting
Accidents
Any time a firefighter or
reserve officer covered under the relief provisions of the
Volunteer Firefighters’ and Reserve Officers’ Relief and
Pension Act is injured in the performance of duty, a written
report of the accident must reach the State Board within
ninety days. Performance of duty is defined by state law as
"any work in and about company quarters, any fire
station, any law enforcement office or precinct, or any other
place under the direction or general orders of the chief or
other officer having authority to order such member to perform
such work; responding to, working at, or returning from an
alarm or fire, emergency call, or law enforcement duties;
drill or training; or any work performed of an emergency
nature in accordance with the rules and regulations of the
fire department or local law enforcement agency."
Accident report post cards are provided by the State Board to
facilitate meeting the reporting requirement and should be
completed and mailed for any injury, no matter how minor it
appears. The first claim for any accident must be received by
the State Board within one year of the incident or the claim
is legally closed.
If claims for payment of
medical bills and/or disability compensation are to be made,
the Report of Accident form #5580 must be completed and
returned to the State Board. Please take care to see that all
sections of the form are completed. A copy of the emergency
room report signed by the doctor may be attached in place of
the doctor’s report.
Filing
Claims
All bills arising
from an accident should be sent by the claimant to the Local
Board of Trustees for the preparation of State of Washington
Invoice Vouchers by the secretary of the local board. Vouchers
must be prepared for each vendor or claimant, but several
bills from the same claimant may be processed on one voucher.
The name and address of the person or firm to be paid, goes in
the box at top left. The name of the member or members on
whose behalf the claims are made should be written on the
member line and the itemized bills should be attached. If a
member personally pays the physician, etc., for services
rendered and then requests reimbursement from the State Board,
his or her name, as payee, will go in the box at the top left.
In this case, proof of payment as well as an itemized
statement of services rendered must be attached to the
vouchers. The secretary will need to obtain the signature and
tax identification number of the person named in the payee box
and the approval of the Local Board of Trustees, as shown by
the signatures of the chair and secretary. If an original
medical billing is attached to the voucher, the signature of
the representative of that medical facility need not be
obtained. After approval is obtained and bills are attached,
the vouchers should be sent to the State Board for payment.
The State
Board is required by law to pay for physicians’ services at
a rate not to exceed the Department of Labor and Industries’
fee schedule, and the providers will accept this as full
payment. However, if a member pays his or her own bills and
asks for reimbursement, she or he will be reimbursed only for
the portion that the State Board is allowed to pay. Therefore,
it is in the best interest of the member to have bills sent to
the secretary of the local board for direct payment to the
provider of the services.
State of
Washington Invoice Vouchers must also be prepared for payment
of disability compensation to an injured member. Disability
compensation is provided for any member who, as a result of an
injury in the performance of duty, is unable to work at his or
her regular job or occupation for a period not to exceed six
months. In 1995 the legislature gave the local board
additional responsibilities to determine the amount of
disability compensation, which is not to exceed the amount of
loss.
If after six
months the injured member is unable to work at any job as a
result of his or her injury, disability compensation computed
at a different rate may be authorized. In preparing vouchers
for disability compensation, the member is the payee whose
name appears in the box at the top left side and he or she
must sign in the top signature box. The description section
should list the dates for which compensation is requested and
the amount granted. Please attach documentation of regular
wages to the first such disability claim for any injured
member and secure the approval of the local board of trustees.
If an injured
member sustains a permanent partial disability as a result of
an accident, she or he may contact the State Board for an
examination to determine the extent of disability. A permanent
partial disability settlement will be offered according to the
report of an independent examining physician or panel in
accordance with tables adopted by the Department of Labor and
Industries.
The State
Board will reimburse for mileage traveled for treatment
outside the members’ home area. Reimbursement is
accomplished by completion of an invoice voucher payable to
the member. Please include dates of travel, destination and
miles traveled. Bills for services will be used to document
this claim.
If a member is killed during
the performance of duty, death and funeral benefits as well as
a survivors’ pension for the spouse and/or surviving
dependent children are provided. The State Board should be
contacted immediately so that the claim can be processed as
quickly as possible.
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