Firefighter cancer presumption in Georgia
No workers' comp cancer presumption exists in Georgia. Fire departments must instead cover firefighters with a cancer benefit once they've served 1 year.
Ga. Code Ann. § 25-3-23 is the law here. It applies to cancer insurance that a department pays for.
A cancer benefit is insurance your department must carry that pays out when a firefighter gets a listed cancer. Workers' comp (workers' compensation) is the insurance that pays medical bills and part of your lost pay when work makes you sick.
Conditions under Georgia's law
- Your service lasted at least 1 year.
- Coverage includes volunteers. You get monthly disability pay of 60% of your salary, capped at $5,000, or $1,500 if you volunteer, for up to 36 months.
- The law lists certain cancer types, and yours must be one of them, like lung, breast, prostate, or leukemia.
- A doctor must confirm your diagnosis. The doctor must be board certified in the specialty that fits your type of cancer.
- Monthly disability payments are paid only if the cancer leaves you unable to serve as a firefighter.
- Monthly disability payments don't begin until six months after you become disabled.
Call about your Georgia claim
Questions about your diagnosis, your service record or your deadline go to the claims line: +1 833 853 0496
Cancers Georgia's law covers
| Cancer | Covered in Georgia? |
|---|---|
| Bladder cancer | Yes |
| Brain cancer | Yes |
| Breast cancer | Yes |
| Colon or rectal cancer | Yes |
| Esophagus cancer | Yes |
| Kidney cancer | Yes |
| Leukemia | Yes |
| Lung cancer | Yes |
| Multiple myeloma | Yes |
| Non-Hodgkin lymphoma | Yes |
| Prostate cancer | Yes |
| Skin cancer, melanoma included | Yes |
| Testicular cancer | Yes |
| Thyroid cancer | Yes |
| Cancer of the ovaries, cervix, or uterusCervical cancer alone is on the list; ovarian and uterine cancer are not | Partly |
| Cancer of the throat or mouthVoice box and throat cancers are the only ones that count here; the law treats them as respiratory cancers. Mouth cancers don't appear on the list | Partly |
| Liver cancer | Not named |
| Mesothelioma | Not named |
| Pancreatic cancer | Not named |
| Stomach cancer | Not named |
A workers' comp claim can still include a cancer marked "Not named," but a doctor must link that cancer to your job.
In Georgia, how do you file a claim for firefighter cancer?
- Ask your department, or the board that runs its pension or benefits, how to apply for the department-paid cancer insurance. Name Georgia's law (Ga. Code Ann. § 25-3-23) in your request. That board is the office that decides retirement and disability pay for your department.
- You can also file a workers' comp claim, which is a second claim with the State Board of Workers' Compensation. Georgia's cancer law does not help with that one, so your doctor has to say in writing that your work caused the cancer.
- Collect your diagnosis, the dates you were hired and served, any physical exam results, and your records of fires and exposures.
- Try to start soon, because time limits apply. Ask your department or the board how long you have to apply. A workers' comp claim has its own deadlines.