Arizona expands cancer presumptions for firefighters

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed into law Wednesday a bill to expand workers compensation for diseases suffered by firefighters presumed to be caused by their job.

S.B. 1451, which passed the Arizona House earlier this month in a 51-7 vote and passed the Senate in February in a 22-8 vote, adds breast and ovarian cancer to the list of cancers covered by rebuttable presumptions if firefighters and fire investigators meet other conditions, such as completing a physical prior to employment showing they are cancer-free and documenting work exposure to a known carcinogen.

The bill would also allow insurers covering the presumptions to file one uniform percentage deviation that increases statewide rates for the class codes associated with those workers to address the anticipated increase in losses and expenses for those claims.