WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) welcomed the U.S. Department of Treasury’s issuance of final regulations for implementation of the employer responsibility provisions under the Affordable Care Act on Monday — regulations that reconcile a conflict in the tax code that could require volunteer fire companies to count their volunteer firefighters as “employees” and potentially trigger the Affordable Care Act’s coverage mandate for businesses with more than 50 employees.
“Delaware’s volunteer fire companies are such an important part of our communities,” Senator Coons said. “The Obama Administration today fulfilled a promise made to me and to Delaware’s volunteer fire companies last month to issue final regulations to clarify that volunteer firefighters would not count as employees under the Affordable Care Act. These rules will spare Delaware’s 60 volunteer fire companies from a significant and unintended financial burden, but it remains my hope that Congress will find a way to come together to fix other issues with the Affordable Care Act that can only be repaired through legislation.”
The full Treasury Department regulations can be read and downloaded here: http://1.usa.gov/1gnvFSv
The letter sent to Senator Coons by the Treasury Department in January promising the fix can be read and downloaded here: http://1.usa.gov/1aOgvlw
Last month, Senator Coons cosponsored legislation to clarify the “Shared Responsibility” provision of the Affordable Care Act to ensure that Delaware’s 6,000 volunteer firefighters and emergency responders were not counted as “employees” in the eyes of the Internal Revenue Service. More here: http://1.usa.gov/18RivJi
Also in December, Senator Coons sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew urging the Administration to explore a fix for this issue independent of Congress. It can be downloaded as a PDF here: http://bit.ly/Jsz2g7