KY HB34

Expands the list of cancers qualifying firefighters for line-of-duty death benefits from 12 to 21 types, adding mesothelioma, esophageal cancer, lung cancer, rectal cancer, thyroid cancer, intestinal cancer, multiple myeloma, buccal cancer, and pharyngeal cancer

Provides $80,000 lump-sum death benefit to surviving spouses of police officers, firefighters, EMS personnel, and National Guard members who die in the line of duty, paid from Kentucky's general fund

If there are surviving children under 18, $35,000 is paid immediately and $45,000 is held in trust with interest until each child reaches age 18

Firefighters qualify for cancer-related death benefits if they served at least 5 consecutive years, were tobacco-free for 10 years before diagnosis, were under 65 at death, and were exposed to known carcinogens during firefighting

Estates of eligible personnel are exempt from all probate fees, and the cancer presumption applies only to this death benefit statute and does not create work-relatedness presumptions for workers' compensation claims