SB 184 — Firefighter Cancer Benefits & Workers' Compensation

SecondNOTE: Regular Session Seventy-fifth General Assembly STATE OF COLORADO REREVISED This Version Includes All Amendments Adopted in the Second House LLS NO.

26-0714.02This Yelanabill Lovehas x2295been SENATEprepared BILLfor 26-184the SENATEsignatures SPONSORSHIPof Rodriguezthe andappropriate Ball,legislative Benavidez,officers Coleman, Danielson, Exum, Gonzales J., Kipp, Kolker, Lindstedt, Marchman, Mullica, Sullivan, Wallace, Weissman HOUSE SPONSORSHIP Carter and Mabrey,the Bacon,Governor. Boesenecker, Camacho, Duran, Garcia, Hamrick, Jackson, Lieder, Lindsay, Nguyen, Ricks, Rutinel, Sirota, Story, Valdez, Velasco, Willford, Zokaie d d e 6 a 0 S n , U g 1 H d y e a Senate Committees House Committees R M Business, Labor, & Technology State, Civic, Military, & Veterans Affairs 3 n 6 A BILL FOR AN ACT d 2 S e 2 C ONCERNING BENEFITS FOR FIREFIGHTERS WHO CONTRACT CERTAIN U R 1 H n y CONDITIONS .

dTo adetermine dwhether Mthe nGovernor Billhas Summarysigned mthe Abill (Note:or taken other action on it, please consult the legislative status sheet, the legislative history, or the Session Laws.

ThisSENATE summaryBILL applies26-184 toBY thisSENATOR(S) billRodriguez as introduced and doesBall, notreflectanyamendmentsthatmaybesubsequentlyadopted.IfthisbillBenavidez, eCutter, nDanielson, passesExum,GonzalesJ.,Kipp,Kolker,Lindstedt,Marchman,Mullica,Sullivan, thirdWallace, readingWeissman, inColeman; the house of introduction, a bill summary that m 6 applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at T n 0 A U , http://leg.colorado.gov.) E i y S a a R M Current law in the "Workers' Compensation Act of Colorado" r provides that certain cancers contracted by firefighters are considered 3 occupational diseases presumed to have been a result of the firefighters' employment.

Aalso firefighter'sREPRESENTATIVE(S) employerCarter orand anMabrey, insurerBacon, mayBoesenecker, rebutCamacho, thisDuran, nGarcia, presumptionbyshowingbyapreponderanceofthemedicalevidencethatHamrick, dJackson, theLieder, cancerLindsay, didNguyen, notRicks, occurRutinel, onSirota, theStory, job.Valdez, Velasco, Willford, Zokaie.

eC 6ONCERNING TBENEFITS RFOR 0FIREFIGHTERS AWHO nCONTRACT ,CERTAIN ECONDITIONS d. y Shading denotes HOUSE amendment.

Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.

S e a Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing law.n M Dashes through the words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law.

m A Section 2 of the bill updates the law by:

! Expanding the types of cancer that are considered occupational diseases;

! Affordingcertainneurologicalconditionsthepresumption;

and ! Strengthening the presumption to require an employer to showclearandconvincingevidencethatthecancerdidnot occur on the job.

SECTION1.SECTION 1.

Legislativedeclaration.(1)Legislative Thegeneralassemblydeclaration. finds and declares that:

(a)(1) FirefightersThe aregeneral routinelyassembly exposedfinds to carcinogens, heavy metals, and combustiondeclares by-productsthat: in the course of their duties, resulting in a significantly elevated risk of (b) Colorado created a presumption regarding the occupational causation of certain cancers in order to provide greater protections under the "Workers' Compensation Act of Colorado" to recognize the risks firefighters are exposed to;

(c)(a) ScientificandoccupationalhealthdatademonstrateincreasedFirefighters incidenceofareroutinelyexposedtocarcinogens,heavymetals, multiplemyeloma,non-Hodgkinlymphoma,andbladder and respiratorycombustion cancersby-products amongin firefighters;the course of their duties, resulting in a significantly elevated risk of cancer;

and(b) (d)Colorado Thecreated a presumption ofregarding the occupational causationcausationofcertaincancersinordertoprovidegreaterprotectionsunderthe and"Workers' protectionsCompensation withinthe"Workers'CompensationActofColorado"mustbeexpanded,Act strengthened,of andColorado" madeto conclusiverecognize tothe ensurerisks fairness,Capital promptletters claimsor processing,bold and& timelyitalic paymentnumbers ofindicate benefitsnew tomaterial firefightersadded withto theseexisting conditions.law;

dashes through words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law and such material is not part of the act.

firefighters are exposed to;

(c) Scientific and occupational health data demonstrate increased incidence of multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and bladder and respiratory cancers among firefighters;

and (d) The presumption of occupational causation and protections within the "Workers' Compensation Act of Colorado" must be expanded, strengthened, and made conclusive to ensure fairness, prompt claims processing, and timely payment of benefits to firefighters with these conditions.

(a) MandatesMandatesapresumptionofoccupationalcausationwhenbenefits a presumption of occupational causation when -2- 184 benefits are claimed by a firefighter for certain cancers, unless the presumption is rebutted by clear and convincing medical evidence;

and (b) PreventsPreventsanemployerfromusingtheabsenceofaprior,baseline an employer from using the absence of a prior, baseline medical examination as a basis to deny a firefighter's claim for benefits.

SECTION2.SECTION 2.

InColoradoRevisedStatutes,repealandreenact,In Colorado Revised Statutes, repeal and reenact, with amendments, 8-41-209 as follows:

(1) THETHESHORTTITLEOFTHISSECTIONISTHE SHORT TITLE OFTHIS SECTION IS "RUBEN LEWIS SIMS JR.

ACT"A CT" (2) ASA S USED IN THIS SECTI,UNLESSSECTION ,UNLESS THE CONTEXT OTHERWISE REQUIRES:REQUIRES :

(a) "CANCER "MEANS" MEANS :

(II) LADDERBLADDER CANCER ;

(III) OLONCLON CANCER ;

PAGE 2-SENATE BILL 26-184 (IV) PROSTATE CANCER ;

(V) TESTICULART CANCERESTICULAR ;CANCER;

(VII) NON-HNON ODGKIN-HODGKIN LYMPHOMA ;

(VIII) LUNG CANCER;CANCER ;

(X) LEUKEMIAL EUKEMIA ;

(XIII) BRAIN CANCER;CANCER ;

-3- 184 (XIV) D IGESTIVE CANCERCANCER; ;

(XVI) S KIN CANCERCANCER; ;

(XVIII) BBREAST REAST CANCER ;AND (XIX) R EPRODUCTIVE CANCER .

8 (b) "COVERED"C OVERED INDIVIDUAL ""MEANS MEANS A FIREFIGHTER WHO ,AT THE TIME OF THE DIAGNOSIS OF THE CONDITION FOR WHICH THE FIREFIGHTER IS RECEIVING BENEFIT,HASBENEFITS,HAS AT LEAST FIVE YEARSOFCUMULATIVEYEARS FULLOF -CUMULATIVE ORFULL-OR PARTPART-TIME TIME EMPLOYMENT ,INCLUDING EMPLOYMENT WITH THE STATE ,,OR OR VOLUNTEER SERVICE WITH ONE OR MORE EMPLOYERS AND :