Bill Summaries: S472 EXPAND OCCUP. CANCER BENEFITS/FIREFIGHTERS.

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  • Summary date: Apr 1 2021 - View Summary

    Amends GS 143-166.2 which defines terms as they are used in Article 12A (Public Safety Employees' Death Benefits Act) to also include in the term "killed in the line of duty" when a firefighter's death is a direct or proximate result of cancers of the respiratory system, digestive system, or urinary system (in addition to the already listed mesothelioma and testicular, intestinal, and esophageal cancers) that are occupationally related to firefighting; in such cases, creates a presumption that the firefighter was killed in the line of duty.

    Enacts GS 143-166.3A to require the Industrial Commission to establish a $25,000 trust account in the name of any firefighter diagnosed with any cancer listed in GS 143-166.2 who at the time of diagnosis: (1) has been employed as a firefighter for five consecutive years, (2) was not employed within the preceding five years in an unrelated position that is scientifically linked to a higher rate of cancer, and (3) does not have a history of smoking tobacco products. Prohibits using the trust for any purpose other than paying for medical expenses associated with the treatment of the firefighter's occupationally related cancer.

    Effective July 1, 2021.