This bill amends existing workers' compensation law to broaden the presumption that cancer disease in firefighters is occupationally caused. Previously, to receive occupational cancer workers' compensation, the type of cancer had to be one that could be caused by exposure to heat, radiation, or a known carcinogen as defined by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The bill removes this specification, thus allowing for workers' compensation for any type of cancer disease in firefighters, including regular, call, volunteer, or retired members of a fire department.

The bill's effective date is upon its passage, with the approval date being August 4, 2023, and the same date set as the effective date. The legal language that has been deleted from the current law is the requirement for the cancer to be a type which may be caused by specific exposures (heat, radiation, or a known carcinogen). No new legal language has been inserted; rather, the deletion broadens the scope of the law to include all types of cancer for firefighters seeking workers' compensation.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 281-A:17-f