Senate Passes Bill to Create Cancer Presumption for Firefighters

The West Virginia Senate voted 33-0 Tuesday to pass a bill to create a presumption that some forms of cancer suffered by firefighters are compensable occupational diseases, sending the measure along to the House of Representatives. Senate Bill 82, by Ryan Ferns, R-Wheeling, creates a rebuttable presumption for leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma. The presumption applies only to firefighters who are under age 65, have been employed for at least five years and have not used tobacco for at least 10 years. Before passing the bill, the Senate accepted an amendment that requires the presum...