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Payment of Invoice for Ambulance Transportation of Injured National Park Visitor

B-198032 Jun 03, 1981
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Highlights

An advance decision was requested on the propriety of certifying for payment an invoice for emergency transportation of an injured minor visitor at a national park. The invoice was presented pursuant to an agreement between a national park and a local volunteer fire department. The Secretary of the Interior has the authority to aid and assist transportation to local medical facilities for injured or ill park visitors. This responsibility may be exercised by entering into agreements with public or private facilities operating in nearby communities. However, under applicable statutes, the National Park Service (NPS) should attempt to collect the amounts it has been forced to expend on the visitor's behalf. The user charge statute allows the head of an agency to charge the beneficiary for the value of the service rendered and should be applied in this case since NPS has no legal duty to provide ambulance service free of charge to park visitors. By the terms of its agreement with the fire department, NPS has been forced to bear the expense because of the visitor's refusal to pay. GAO held that it was reasonable to apply the user charge statute in this case and, accordingly, the voucher was certified for payment.

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