[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2244 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2244
To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish presumptions of
service connection for diseases associated with firefighting.
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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 21, 2025
Mr. Bacon introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
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A BILL
To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish presumptions of
service connection for diseases associated with firefighting.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Michael Lecik Military Firefighters
Protection Act''.
SEC. 2. PRESUMPTIONS OF SERVICE CONNECTION FOR DISEASES ASSOCIATED WITH
FIREFIGHTING.
(a) Establishment.--Subchapter II of chapter 11 of title 38, United
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 1120A. Presumptions of service connection for diseases
associated with firefighting
``(a) Service Connection.--For the purposes of section 1110 of this
title, and subject to section 1113 of this title, a disease specified
in subsection (b) becoming manifest in a veteran described in
subsection (c) to a degree of disability specified in subsection (d)
and within the period specified in subsection (e) shall be considered
to have been incurred in or aggravated during active military, naval,
or air service, notwithstanding that there is no record of evidence of
such disease during a period of such service.
``(b) Specified Diseases.--The diseases specified in this
subsection are the following:
``(1) Heart disease.
``(2) Lung disease.
``(3) Brain cancer.
``(4) Cancer of the blood or lymphatic systems.
``(5) Leukemia.
``(6) Lymphoma (except Hodgkin's disease).
``(7) Multiple myeloma.
``(8) Bladder cancer.
``(9) Kidney cancer.
``(10) Cancer of the reproductive system (including
testicular cancer).
``(11) Cancer of the digestive system.
``(12) Colon cancer.
``(13) Liver cancer.
``(14) Skin cancer.
``(15) Lung cancer.
``(16) Breast cancer.
``(17) Each additional disease (if any) that the Secretary
determines in regulations prescribed under this section--
``(A) warrants a presumption of service connection
by reason of having positive association with
firefighting; and
``(B) becomes manifest within the period (if any)
prescribed in such regulations in a veteran described
in subsection (c), notwithstanding subsection (e).
``(c) Covered Veterans.--A veteran described in this subsection is
a veteran who--
``(1) is trained in fire suppression; and
``(2) served on active duty in a military occupational
specialty or career field with a primary responsibility for
firefighting or damage control for at least five years in the
aggregate.
``(d) Degree of Disability.--The degree of disability specified in
this subsection is 10 percent or more.
``(e) Period.--The period specified in this subsection is within 15
years of the date on which the veteran separated from active military,
naval, or air service.
``(f) Effective Date of Award.--The effective date of an award
under this section shall be determined in accordance with section 5110
of this title.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of
such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section
1120 the following new item:
``1120A. Presumptions of service connection for diseases associated
with firefighting.''.
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