Firefighter cancer presumption in Washington
After 10 years of service, Washington presumes 14 cancers are job-related.
The law behind this is RCW 51.32.185. It applies to workers' comp.
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 Washington's law
- Your service lasted at least 10 years.
- Your cancer is one that the law names, such as stomach, skin, leukemia, kidney, brain, or bladder cancer.
- When you started, you had a medical exam showing no cancer, unless your employer gave you none.
- The diagnosis came while you worked, or within three months of leaving for each year served, up to 60 months.
- If you're a private-sector firefighter, you're full-time and fully paid, and your department has over 50 firefighters.
Your employer can say something else caused it, like family history, weight, tobacco use, or lifestyle.
Call about your Washington claim
Questions about your diagnosis, your service record or your deadline go to the claims line: +1 833 853 0496
Cancers Washington covers
| Cancer | Covered in Washington? |
|---|---|
| Bladder cancer | Yes |
| Brain cancerprimary brain cancer only | Yes |
| Breast cancerwomen only | Yes |
| Colon or rectal cancer | Yes |
| Kidney cancer | Yes |
| Leukemia | Yes |
| Mesothelioma | Yes |
| Multiple myeloma | Yes |
| Non-Hodgkin lymphoma | Yes |
| Prostate canceronly if diagnosed before age 50 | Yes |
| Skin cancer, melanoma included | Yes |
| Stomach cancer | Yes |
| Testicular cancer | Yes |
| Ovarian, cervical or uterine cancerOnly cervical cancer is listed; ovarian and uterine cancer are not | Partly |
| Esophagus cancer | Not named |
| Liver cancer | Not named |
| Lung cancer | Not named |
| Pancreatic cancer | Not named |
| Throat or mouth cancer | Not named |
| Thyroid cancer | Not named |
A cancer marked "Not named" can still be part of a workers' comp claim, but a doctor must connect it with your job.
How does a firefighter file a workers' comp cancer claim in Washington?
- Put it in writing to your department: you have cancer and you believe the job caused it. Save a copy for yourself.
- Send the claim through your employer's insurer or straight to the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I), and name the law on the form (RCW 51.32.185).
- Put together your diagnosis, any physical exam results, fire and exposure records, and the dates of your hire and service.
- Start soon. Workers' comp claims have time limits for telling your employer and for filing, and some are short.