The DeKalb County Commission held a special-called meeting last Monday evening, in the bottom floor of the DeKalb Courthouse, with the only issue on the agenda concerning the policy for paying medical death investigators.
The move came after there were concerns raised over a previously proposed policy, where medical death investigators were to be paid a minimum of four hours (overtime per call) at an hourly rate based off their ambulance service salary.
On, April 28, during the regular monthly meeting of the County Commission, the policy was adopted by the county commission, but with a change from four hours to eight hours (overtime) that medical death investigators were to be paid.
That new policy was supposed to get the county back in line with the state. According to the comptroller’s office, the county could not pay an hourly employee a flat rate. If they are paid hourly at one (county) job, they have to be compensated at the same wage for the other (county) job.
But another county department said that the new policy was unfair to its employees. According to Sheriff Patrick Ray, the policy didn’t provide a level playing field between the on-call MDIs and his own on call employees who often have to spend a much longer period of time at a death scene, and are not guaranteed eight hours of overtime.
According to Sheriff Ray, an MDI is on the scene to view the body and determine if the death is a natural death, suicide, or murder. After that, the MDI can release the body to law enforcement to complete the scene work. The MDI will also complete the paperwork to send into the state medical examiner.
If that policy remained in place, Sheriff Ray said he would be asking the county to amend his budget to provide for eight hours of overtime to his on-call employees.
At Monday’s special-called meeting, commissioners couldn’t agree on how to proceed. The main focus seemed to be providing a good enough incentive for EMS employees to take the MDI position.
A motion was made by Commissioner Larry Green, and seconded by Brandon Donnell to offer a 50-cent raise to MDIs, and a 75-cent raise to the lead MDI, with a four-hour minimum. Others argued that the four hours would put them right back in the same situation, and that the sheriff’s employees would have to be compensated for their time.
Commissioners Tom Chandler, Daniel Cripps, Myron Rhody, Tony Luna, Greg Matthews, Glenn Merriman, Jeff Barnes, Andy Pack, and Beth Pafford, each voted “No” on the policy change, while Sabrina Farler, Brandon Donnell, and Larry Green voted “yes.” Mathias Anderson was absent at the time of the vote.
Later, a compromise seemed to have been reached, with Chandler making a motion to raise MDI salaries by 75-cents, and the lead MDI by $1. Rhody offered a second. Commissioners tried to average the yearly calls MDIs respond to, with the accepted number being around 75.
Commissioners Chandler, Cripps, Rhody, Farler, Luna, Matthews, Green, Merriman, Pack, Pafford, and Anderson each voted “Yes,” while Brandon Donnell and Jeff Barnes voted “No.” The policy change was approved.
According to County Mayor Matt Adcock, the DeKalb County Medical Examiner will be appointed by the county mayor with confirmation by the DeKalb County Commission.
In the updated policy, the medical examiner will be compensated $100 per decedent, and that the medical death investigators, employed through DeKalb EMS, will be making an extra 75 cents on their EMS salary. The lead MDI will be making an extra $1 per hour on his EMS salary.
The three regular MDIs, and the lead MDI, will be appointed by the Medical Examiner, EMS Director, and County Mayor for six-month terms before evaluations. The lead MDI, serves as the main contact for the medical death investigators, assigning calls and contacts for each case. In the event that not other MDI is available, the lead would respond. E-911 would contact the lead MDI, and the lead would delegate someone to that call. MDIs would consist of EMTs and Advanced EMTs.
Non-county employees, or non-ambulance service employees, may participate if they are an EMT, paramedic, registered nurse, physicians’ assistant, or person registered by the American Board of Death Investigators, and approved by the County Medical Examiner. Those employees would make a flat rate of $100 as a 1099 contracted employee. The non-county employee MDIs would only be used if the four EMS MDIs were not available.
