by Karl Voigt, Esquire
On July 7, Pennsylvania Governor Corbett signed House Bill 797, which enhances the workers’ compensation claims of firefighters who have certain cancers. Prior to the Bill’s passage, career and volunteer firefighters were entitled to a presumption that certain cancers caused by exposure to Group 1 carcinogens were work-related. The new legislation specifies that, if a firefighter has passed a physical examination prior to that exposure, the cancer is presumed to be work-related. It can be rebutted by the employer, but only by showing that the cancer was not caused by firefighting.
For full text of the changes, see:
http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2011&sInd=0&body=H&type=B&bn=797
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