This is important and affects all of us as Volunteer Firefighters & EMTs - please read on ...

Since the enactment of the Workers’ Compensation Reform Act of 2007, the disparity in benefits between paid Firefighter/EMTs and their volunteer counterparts has grown alarmingly wide. For decades, the Volunteer Firefighters’ Benefit Law (VFBL) and the Workers’ Compensation Law (WCL) maintained a standard of parity—ensuring that firefighters received fair treatment regardless of whether they were paid or volunteered. That balance was disrupted in 2007, and today the gap has reached crisis proportions, placing an unjust financial burden on volunteers and severely impacting recruitment and retention across New York State. * The numbers speak for themselves.*

If a paid firefighter and a volunteer firefighter suffer the same injury resulting in temporary total disability for two months (nine weeks), the paid firefighter receives approximately $11,000 in compensation—while the volunteer receives only $5,800. That’s an 88% difference for the same injury.

The inequity becomes even more staggering in cases involving scheduled loss of use. If both a paid and a volunteer firefighter sustain identical injuries resulting in a 35% permanent loss of use of a leg, the paid firefighter receives approximately $123,000. The volunteer just $40,000—less than a third of the amount.

These disparities stem from outdated and inconsistent benefit caps. VFBL Section 9 (Temporary Total Disability) must be aligned with WCL Section 15, which currently provides $1,222 per week compared to VFBL’s $650. Similarly, VFBL Section 10 (Permanent Partial Disability) must be updated to match WCL Section 15’s $1,222 weekly rate, rather than the current $400. Notably, VFBL Section 10 was mistakenly left unchanged during the 2021 updates, unlike Section 9.

We need to advocate to correct this injustice to those of us who could sustain an injury and rely on VFBL compensation. Please copy the attached letter for your contacts and department members - and be sure to sign it and send it to the PCVFA, c/o Pres. Ed Butler, who will, in turn, send it to our FASNY representative, VP Donald Farrell:

Putnam County VFA
Attn: Pres. Ed Butler (VFBL)
PO Box 668
Carmel, NY 10512