Section 22-18-61 Development and Administration of Program.

(a) Eligible educational institutions, in consultation with the associations, shall jointly develop and administer a student tuition reimbursement program for students who contract to provide two years of emergency medical services for volunteer rescue squads, volunteer fire departments, or ambulance services after becoming a licensed EMSP. (b)(1) Tuition reimbursement under this article shall cover tuition costs paid by the student or the volunteer rescue squad, volunteer fire department, ambulance service, or association on behalf of the student of which the student is a member. Tuition paid by the volunteer rescue squad, volunteer fire department, ambulance service, or association shall be reimbursed directly to the volunteer rescue squad, volunteer fire department, ambulance service, or association. (2) Tuition reimbursement under this article shall not include any tuition costs covered by grants or other monetary awards provided to a student including, but not limited to, federal education grants and scholarships, as determined by the ACCS. (3) Tuition costs shall not be reimbursed until the student provides ACCS and the associations with documentation that he or she has successfully completed the approved program of instruction, proof of passing the certification exam, production of a valid EMSP license from the Alabama Department of Public Health, and a contractual agreement to comply with the service requirements. (c) In the event that a tuition reimbursement recipient fails to meet the service requirements for any reason other than extreme hardship as defined within the joint agreement required in Section 22-18-64(b), the individual shall be deemed to have breached the underlying contract and shall be liable in the form of monetary damages to the state for the immediate repayment of the total tuition costs reimbursed, plus interest at the rate of eight percent. The associations shall notify ACCS of recipients who fail to meet the service requirements. (d) Beginning with the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the amount of tuition reimbursement available to students shall be divided among volunteer fire departments, rescue squads, and ambulance services based on available appropriations in compliance with the following standards: (1) The ACCS shall create operational procedures to ensure that funds and volunteer service commitments are split equitably among volunteer fire departments, rescue squads, and ambulance services. Notwithstanding the foregoing, priority shall be given to volunteer fire departments, rescue squads, and nonprofit ambulance services. (2) The Alabama Department of Public Health shall adopt a rule imposing a monetary cap on the amount of tuition costs that may be reimbursed for students who complete the program of instruction through a designated EMS regional agency, which shall not exceed any cap in effect on the amount of reimbursed tuition costs for the Alabama Fire College.