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Commissioners approve one additional LOSAP appeal to add volunteer to 2024 certified list
Summary
Following the May 5 certified LOSAP list presentation, the Department of Emergency Services reported one additional approved appeal for the 2024 LOSAP list. The board approved adding the volunteer after the volunteer company and the LOSAP executive committee had approved the appeal and after the appeal timeline closed.
The Commissioners of St. Mary's County on May 20 approved the addition of one volunteer to the county's 2024 Length of Service Award Program (LOSAP) certified list after the appeal process concluded.
Catherine Prattsen, presenting on behalf of the Department of Emergency Services, said the volunteer company's certification and the LOSAP executive committee had approved the appeal and that county code requires the commissioners to make the final determination. Prattsen described the appeals timeline: volunteer companies must post certified lists for 30 days and individuals then have 30 days after posting to submit appeals. The final appeal period ended May 6; this additional appeal fell within that timeframe and, after internal review, was supported.
Commissioners asked procedural questions about why appeals sometimes arrive after the initial certification and whether process changes would reduce late appeals. Prattsen and other staff said the ordinance and new data-collection processes implemented with LOSAP updates are intended to make list collection and verification more consistent and reduce future late appeals.
The motion to approve the single additional volunteer's inclusion on the 2024 certified LOSAP list passed with approval from the board.
Why it matters: LOSAP determines eligibility for volunteer response rewards and can affect volunteers' participation in incentive programs and their retention. The county code requires the governing body to adopt the certified lists and any approved appeals.
Next steps: staff said they expect the process improvements to reduce the frequency of late appeals; the approved volunteer will be eligible for the response rewards program for 2024 as certified.
