HB 5927 Summary

• Expands workers' compensation presumptions for firefighters and first responders to include breast cancer as a work-related injury, along with existing respiratory and heart diseases.

• Allows firefighters and police officers with 60+ months of service who develop specified cancers (respiratory tract, bladder, skin, brain, kidney, blood, thyroid, testicular, prostate, breast, or lymphatic) to claim benefits from a newly created "first responder presumed coverage fund" instead of suing their employer.

• Creates the first responder presumed coverage fund as a separate state treasury fund to pay cancer-related workers' compensation claims, with the director required to approve or deny claims within 30 days of receipt.

• Requires claimants to first exhaust pension benefits before claiming workers' compensation benefits, though pension eligibility does not prevent additional medical expense coverage under section 315.

• Establishes that the presumption of work-related causation can only be rebutted by scientific evidence that the firefighter was a substantial tobacco user within 10 years before injury diagnosis.