§ 15. Expense for rehabilitating injured volunteer firefighters. A
volunteer firefighter, who as a result of injury is or may be expected
to be totally or partially incapacitated for a remunerative occupation
and who, under the direction of the state education department is being
rendered fit to engage in a remunerative occupation, may receive such
additional financial benefit necessary for his or her rehabilitation as
the workers' compensation board shall determine. Not more than thirty
dollars per week of such additional amount shall be expended for
maintenance. Such expense and such of the administrative expenses of the
state education department as are properly assignable to the expenses of
rehabilitating such volunteer firefighters shall be paid out of the
vocational rehabilitation fund created pursuant to subdivision nine of
section fifteen of the workers' compensation law. Any such volunteer
firefighter for the purposes of such fund shall be considered an
employee of the political subdivision liable for the payment of benefits
to such volunteer firefighter under this chapter and such "employer" or
its insurance carrier, as the case may be, shall make the same financial
contribution to such fund as required by such subdivision nine in every
case of injury causing death of a volunteer firefighter in which there
are no persons entitled to financial benefits under this chapter other
than (1) funeral expenses and (2) the death benefit provided in
subdivision two of section seven of this chapter.