Bill > S453

This bill, the Veteran Emergency Medical Technician Support Act of 2015, amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a demonstration program. This program will award grants to states that are experiencing a shortage of emergency medical technicians (EMTs). The purpose of these grants is to help states streamline their requirements and procedures so that veterans who completed EMT training while serving in the military can more easily meet the certification, licensure, and other requirements to become civilian EMTs. To be eligible for a grant, a state must demonstrate a shortage of EMTs, and the funds can be used to assess the equivalency of military EMT training to state requirements and to identify methods, such as waivers, for military EMTs to meet any differing state standards. The Secretary will also be required to submit an annual report to Congress on the program, and no additional funds are authorized for this initiative, meaning it will be carried out using existing available funds.