Covid-19 emergency: circular of the Head of Department on refunds to Voluntary Organizations and employers, professionals and self-employed workers

On June 15, the Circular No. COVID19/34712 has been sent to the Regions, Autonomous Provinces and Civil Protection Voluntary Organizations involved in the Covid-19 emergency, defining the provisions for the submission of requests for refunds (pursuant to Articles 39 and 40 of Legislative Decree 1/2018), the related inquiries and payments concerning the activities carried out by volunteers in the current emergency.

The circular specifies that refunds are payable to committed volunteers belonging to:

• the Organizations registered in the territorial lists activated by the Regions and Autonomous Provinces and the territorial sections of the Organizations registered in the central list, activated or employed and coordinated by the Regions and Autonomous Provinces;
• the Civil Protection Voluntary Organizations registered in the central list, activated by the Civil Protection Department;
• the Voluntary Organizations of third sector entities activated directly by the Department pursuant to paragraph 4 of Article 40 of the Code.

Reimbursement for workdays. In particular, it has been specified that, in order to obtain authorization to exceed 30 continuous days for voluntary activities, (pursuant to paragraph 2 of Article 39 of Legislative Decree 1/2018, and in accordance with art. 3 of OCDPC no. 655 of 25 March 2020 and art. 35-bis of Law no. 27/2020), the Regions and Autonomous Provinces will provide a monthly communication to the Department with the names, the total number of days worked by volunteers and the reasons. The Organizations registered in the central list activated by the Department, will provide through PEC, the same communication. 
The document also specifies the procedures for requests for reimbursement to employers of volunteers, the self-employed and the self-employed: it specifies the forms to be used, what to specify in the forms and any documentation to be provided.
Requests for reimbursement must be sent to the Regions and Autonomous Provinces that have provided for the activation of volunteering and the issuance of certificates of participation in emergency activities. and to the Civil Protection Department for the associations activated by the DC, excluding employers of volunteers belonging to the Voluntary Organizations of the Italian Red Cross, the National Association of Public Assistance and the National Confederation of Mercy of Italy, which will collect the requests.

Refunds for expenses incurred by voluntary organizations. Also with reference to this type of request for reimbursement, the circular specifies which models to use, the types of expenses admitted or not to be reimbursed and the relative documentation to be attached. Requests must be submitted to the Department through the Regions and Autonomous Provinces, if they are reimbursements to the Voluntary Organizations activated at territorial level while the Organizations activated by the Department and registered in the central list must send the documentation to the Department via pec (protezionecivile@pec.governo.it).

Refunds to Voluntary Organizations operating in the Covid-19 emergency may be subject to advance payments by the Civil Protection Department, the Regions and Autonomous Provinces that have provided for the activation, as provided for in Article 40 of Legislative Decree 1/2018, as amended by Article 20 of Legislative Decree no. 4 of 6 February 2020.