Florida Senate Approves Cancer Presumption Bill

In a typical workers’ compensation claim, the burden of proving that the injury was work-related lies with the claimant. For Florida firefighters who are diagnosed with a few specific types of cancer, the burden of proof is about to shift to the employer. On Jan. 27 of this year, a Florida Senate committee unanimously approved Bill 158. Section 2(a) of the bill reads as follows: Any condition or impairment of the health of a firefighter employed full time by the state or any municipality, county, port authority, special tax district, or fire control district which is caused by multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, prostate cancer, or testicular cancer and results in total or partial disability or death is presumed to have been accidental and to have been contracted in the line of duty unless the contrary is shown by competent evidence.