The US House of Representatives passed a bill that would create a presumption that certain health conditions arose from employment as a federal worker engaged in fire protection activities.
The House voted on Wednesday 288-131 to approve HR 2499.
The bill would create assumptions that heart disease, lung disease and specified cancers in federal firefighters with at least five years of experience arose from employment. The worker must be diagnosed with the disease within 10 years of employment.
The Federal Firefighters Fairness Act of 2022 would apply to firefighters, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, rescue workers, paramedics and workers with hazardous materials trained in firefighting; have the legal authority and responsibility to engage in firefighting; are committed to preventing, controlling and extinguishing fires or responding to emergencies where life, property or the environment are in danger; and perform such activities as a primary responsibility.
The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.
WorkCompCentral is a sister magazine to Business Insurance. More stories here.
Source link
