PREPROPOSAL STATEMENT OF INQUIRY
FIREFIGHTERS AND RESERVE OFFICERS
Subject of Possible Rule Making: Adding a new chapter to TITLE 491 WAC to clarify the procedures for filing an appeal for benefits under RCW 41.24.290.
Statutes Authorizing the Agency to Adopt Rules on this Subject: RCW 41.24.290(2).
Reasons Why Rules on this Subject may be Needed and What They Might Accomplish: This rule is necessary to lay out a procedure for filing an appeal of a local board or staff decision denying benefits to a participant. Having a written procedure to follow would make filing appeals easier for both represented and nonrepresented participants, cut down on the cost of such appeals, and bring consistency to the process.
Other Federal and State Agencies that Regulate this Subject and the Process Coordinating the Rule with These Agencies: There are no other state or federal agencies that regulate this subject. There are different agencies that have appeals processes and there are some similarities between them. It is our desire to incorporate many [of] those similarities into our process.
Process for Developing New Rule: Negotiated rule making; and the board for volunteer firefighters and reserve officers.
Interested parties can participate in the decision to adopt the new rule and formulation of the proposed rule before publication by contacting Brigette K. Smith, Executive Secretary, P.O. Box 114, Olympia, WA 98507, (877) 753-7318, e-mail brigettes@bvff.wa.gov.
Regular board meeting notifications are posted on our web site at http://www.bvff.wa.gov.
A comment period is built into the beginning and the end of all our board meetings, the dates of which are published both with the code reviser's office and at our web site at http://www.bvff.wa.gov.
October 18, 2010
Brigette K. Smith
Executive Secretary