Firefighter Cancer Bill Passes House Committee

Thursday, February 18, 2016 | 0

A committee in the Georgia House of Representatives voted Wednesday to approve a bill that would make firefighters stricken by cancer and other diseases eligible for workers' compensation benefits if they demonstrate exposure to a known risk factor while on the job, according to a report by the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

House Bill 216 by Rep. Micah Gravley, R-Douglasville, adds cancer, AIDS and hepatitis to the definition of occupational diseases covered by the Workers' Compensation Act for firefighters who passed a physical examination and completed at least three years of service.

The bill requires firefighters to file disability claims for those conditions within seven years of the last injurious exposure or within one year after death.

HB 216 must also be approved by the full House of Representatives and the Senate before it can go to the governor's desk, where it can be signed into law or vetoed.