A Hope for Emergency Responders to Get $2,500 Tax Credit

The Pennsylvania General Assembly will be considering offering tax credits to Emergency Medical Services (EMS) workers. The emergency responders will have the possibility to receive a $2,500 tax credit.

$2,500 tax credit for emergency responders [Photo: Tioga Publishing]

Who Are EMS Workers?

The duties of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) workers are to create an inherent risk for on-the-job injuries and illnesses. EMS workers include first responders, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, and others whose titles may not always suggest their EMS duties like firefighters, nurses, teachers, and police officers.

They want to keep the teachers, nurses, and police officers in the Commonwealth. So they decided to give a tax credit to them. The bill suggests a $2,500 tax credit for three years and it has already passed in the House in June and waiting for action in the Senate. Rep. Joe Hogan, R-Penndel, introduced House Bill 1557 to extend the same tax credit to EMS workers and firefighters, to aim attraction and retain personnel in these critical fields because there is a severe shortage of paid and volunteer firefighters as well as Emergency Medical Service personnel. The bill is already waiting for action in the House Finance Committee.

According to the published report from the Franklin County Free Press, EMS leaders tell their issues beyond wages and tax status. There is a possibility the EMS system will collapse due to low reimbursement rates and funding problems. The fire chiefs expressed their concern over stagnant and reduced funding despite rising costs and manpower issues. The House and Senate passed House Bill 479, which reimburses ambulance services for every mile driven but funding and attracting more workers into the emergency response field remain ongoing challenges.