The state of Kentucky has released an official letter to alarm companies alerting them to new legislation affecting personal emergency response systems (PERS). The law, which creates government oversight of medical alert services, was enacted July 15.

As of January 1, 2009, PERS service providers must allow customers to designate 911 as their first place of contact if the customer signals for help. If the customer does not designate 911 as the first call, 911 will be called by default after the PERS provider has tried without success to contact the people on the customer’s call list.

PERS providers must also notify existing customers before January 1 with the option of changing their call list to include 911 as the first call.

“The law has minimal effect on new customers. However, it does present problems for existing customers,” Richard Bailey of Lexington, Ky.-based Emergency Medic Alert tells SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION. “We’ve drafted a contact form so we can get the appropriate data. Many times a relative is the primary decision maker for our customers and reaching them can be an issue.”

The legislation was drafted after the recent death of a 69-year-old woman who pressed her medical alert button for help because she was having a heart attack.

Monitoring associates attempted to reach the Danville, Ky., resident, who could not respond. Emergency responders were called too late to prevent the woman’s death, according to the woman’s family.

The law mandates monitoring providers request emergency help immediately if a subscriber fails to respond to voice-to-voice communication.

To read the letter sent by the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office, click here.

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