Firefighter cancer presumption in Connecticut
After 5 years of service, Connecticut presumes that 19 cancers are job related.
This is the law that applies: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 7-313h. Workers' comp, retirement, survivor and disability benefits all use it.
Presumed means the law assumes your job caused the cancer, so your employer has to show it came from something else. Workers' comp (workers' compensation) is the insurance that pays medical bills and part of your lost pay when work makes you sick.
Conditions under Connecticut's law
- Your service lasted at least 5 years.
- Volunteer fire department firefighters are included as well.
- For fifteen years before your cancer diagnosis, you did not use cigarettes.
- After service began, a physical exam you passed found no sign of this cancer.
- Following your medical provider's advice, you had a health screening every year.
- Once you stop serving as a firefighter, you have five years at most to apply.
Call about your Connecticut claim
Questions about your diagnosis, your service record or your deadline go to the claims line: +1 833 853 0496
Cancers Connecticut Covers
| Cancer | Covered in Connecticut? |
|---|---|
| Bladder cancer | Yes |
| Brain cancer | Yes |
| Colon or rectal cancer | Yes |
| Esophagus cancer | Yes |
| Kidney cancer | Yes |
| Leukemia | Yes |
| Liver cancer | Yes |
| Lung cancer | Yes |
| Mesothelioma | Yes |
| Multiple myeloma | Yes |
| Non-Hodgkin lymphoma | Yes |
| Ovarian, cervical or uterine cancer | Yes |
| Pancreatic cancer | Yes |
| Prostate cancer | Yes |
| Skin cancer, melanoma included | Yes |
| Stomach cancer | Yes |
| Testicular cancer | Yes |
| Throat or mouth cancer | Yes |
| Thyroid cancer | Yes |
| Breast cancer | Not named |
Even a cancer marked "Not named" can go into a workers' comp claim. A doctor must tie it to your work.
In Connecticut, what's the process for filing a firefighter workers' comp cancer claim?
- Put it in writing to your department: you have cancer and you believe the job caused it. Keep your own copy.
- Use either your employer’s insurer or the Connecticut Workers' Compensation Commission to file the claim, and include the law (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 7-313h) when you fill out the form.
- Put together your diagnosis, hire and service dates, any results from your physical exam, plus your fire and exposure records.
- Start soon. Workers' comp claims have time limits for telling your employer and for filing, and some are short.