Firefighter cancer presumption in Mississippi
No cancer presumption exists in Mississippi's workers' comp system. Instead, after 10 years of service, fire departments must give firefighters cancer coverage.
Relevant law: Mississippi First Responders Health and Safety Act. Instead of workers' comp, it applies to cancer insurance your employer pays.
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 Mississippi's law
- At least 10 years of service.
- Registered volunteer firefighters count, and they get $1,500 a month in disability benefits.
- The doctor who diagnoses the cancer must be board-certified in the right specialty, and must say a hazard of your job caused it.
- You can't have filed a workers' comp claim for that same diagnosis.
- The diagnosis has to happen on your coverage start date or later.
- Paid firefighters must be on full-time duty with a local government or the state.
Questions about your diagnosis, your service record or your deadline go to the claims line: +1 833 853 0496
Cancers Mississippi's law covers
| Cancer | Covered in Mississippi? |
|---|---|
| Bladder cancer | Yes |
| Brain cancer | Yes |
| Breast cancer | Yes |
| Colon or rectal cancer | Yes |
| Esophagus cancerCovered under 'gastrointestinal tract' | Yes |
| Kidney cancer | Yes |
| Leukemia | Yes |
| Liver cancer | Yes |
| Multiple myeloma | Yes |
| Non-Hodgkin lymphoma | Yes |
| Cancer of the ovaries, cervix or uterusFalls under 'reproductive tract' | Yes |
| Pancreatic cancer | Yes |
| Prostate cancerThe $35,000 tier applies only to radical prostatectomy or external beam therapy | Yes |
| Skin cancer, melanoma included | Yes |
| Stomach cancerCovered under 'gastrointestinal tract' | Yes |
| Testicular cancer | Yes |
| Lung cancer | Not named |
| Mesothelioma | Not named |
| Throat or mouth cancer | Not named |
| Thyroid cancer | Not named |
Even a cancer marked "Not named" can go in a workers' comp claim, as long as a doctor ties it to your job.
How do you file a firefighter cancer claim with workers' comp in Mississippi?
- Put it in writing to your department: you have cancer and you think the job caused it. Save a copy for yourself.
- File with the Mississippi Workers' Compensation Commission or with the insurer your employer uses. On the form, cite the law by name: Mississippi First Responders Health and Safety Act.
- Collect your diagnosis, the dates you were hired and served, results from any physical exam, and your fire and exposure records.
- Start soon. Workers' comp claims have time limits for telling your employer and for filing, and some are short.