Senate Bill 1102 Summary

• Expands workers' compensation coverage for first responders (firefighters, police, sheriffs, state police, conservation officers) to include presumed occupational causation for respiratory and heart diseases that develop during active service.

• Establishes a presumption that specified cancers (respiratory tract, bladder, skin, brain, kidney, blood, thyroid, testicular, prostate, breast, and lymphatic) are work-related for fully paid firefighters and public fire authority members with 60+ months of service, with cancer claims payable from a new first responder presumed coverage fund rather than the employer.

• Creates the first responder presumed coverage fund as a separate state treasury fund to pay cancer-related claims; fund receives deposits from any source and is administered by the workers' compensation agency director.

• Requires claimants to exhaust all available pension benefits before filing workers' compensation claims for these conditions; claimants ineligible for pensions may then pursue workers' compensation benefits.

• Mandates annual reporting to legislature on fund claims received, approved claims and amounts paid, and administration costs; requires workers' compensation agency to estimate anticipated costs and shortfalls by March 31 each year.