SPONSOR: Sauls
This bill allows firefighters and certain first responders including emergency and 911 dispatchers to receive Workers' Compensation benefits for occupational diseases that are diseases of the heart or cardiovascular system, any infectious diseases, diseases of the body systems or organs from carcinoma, and diseases of the lungs or respiratory tract.
Any such disease contracted by paid, volunteer, or retired firefighters, paramedics, dispatchers, or emergency medical technicians shall be presumed to be an occupational disease if there is reasonable medical evidence that such employee was free of the disease at the beginning of his or her employment. The employer of the firefighter or first responder has a duty to provide such reasonable medical evidence. If the employer does not provide reasonable medical evidence, then the first responder will have the benefit of the presumption regardless of the absence of medical evidence.
The bill specifies definitions of infectious disease and specifies which workers are eligible including paid, volunteer, and retired firefighters, paramedics, and emergency medical technicians of all types of governmental units and paid emergency or 911 dispatchers.
This bill contains an emergency clause.
This bill is similar to HB 863 (2021).
Statutes affected: