Printed from BusinessInsurance.com

Vermont lawmakers seek cancer presumption for firefighters

Posted On: Jan. 27, 2021 11:58 AM CST

Vermont

Firefighters who meet certain conditions and are diagnosed with certain cancers would be able to file for workers compensation benefits under a proposal read by lawmakers in Vermont on Tuesday.

 

H. 117 proposes that a Vermont firefighter who “undergoes a cancer screening and the results of the screening indicate no evidence of cancer, a subsequent diagnosis of cancer shall be presumed to have resulted from exposure to conditions in the line of duty.”

 

The “disabling cancer shall be limited to leukemia, lymphoma, or multiple myeloma, and cancers originating in the bladder, brain, colon, gastrointestinal tract, kidney, liver, pancreas, skin, or testicles,” according to the bill.

 

A firefighter who is diagnosed with cancer within 10 years of the last active date of employment as a firefighter shall be eligible for benefits under this subdivision and the date of injury shall be the date of the last injurious exposure as a firefighter, under the bill.

 

The bill, which was referred to the Committee on Commerce and Economic Development and would go into effect July 1, also recommends that fire departments maintain incident report records for at least 10 years.