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Is firefighter leukemia covered in your state?

29 states name leukemia in their firefighter cancer law, and 10 more presume it came from the job when it is linked to what you were exposed to.

Check leukemia in your state

Named in state law
29 states
the law lists it by name
If linked to the job
10 more states
a presumption for cancers tied to an exposure
Federal firefighters
Named
after 5 years of service
Research (IARC, 2022)
Not rated
not among the cancers it linked to firefighting

Sources: each state's law, linked on its page; 5 U.S.C. § 8143b for federal firefighters; IARC Monographs volume 132.

Which states presume leukemia for firefighters?

States that name leukemia (29)

Presumed when linked to your work (10)

The law covers any cancer tied to a job exposure, so your claim has to show the link.

A cancer benefit instead of a presumption (4)

Your department carries insurance that pays a set benefit for leukemia. A workers' comp claim is separate.

Another rule or not covered (7)

Leukemia is not presumed here; the state page says what the law does cover.

Call about leukemia

Questions about your diagnosis, your service or your deadline go to the claims line: +1 833 853 0496

Leukemia and firefighting: what the research says

The 2022 IARC review that rated firefighting a cause of cancer did not list leukemia among the cancers it linked to the job (IARC Monographs volume 132). The federal studies point the other way.

NIOSH found leukemia among the raised cancers in its study of nearly 30,000 firefighters (NIOSH, 2020), and the risk rose with the number of fire runs (NIOSH firefighter registry).

How do you file a firefighter leukemia claim?

  1. Get the diagnosis in writing: the type of leukemia and the date it was found.
  2. Open your state's page above for the claims board, the claim form and the time limits for telling your department and for filing.
  3. If your state names leukemia, say so on the claim and name the law. If it does not, ask your doctor for a signed note saying your work caused it.

Leukemia is not one of the six illnesses in the firefighting foam lawsuit (MDL 2873), so the AFFF cases do not cover it. Federal firefighters and 9/11 responders have their own programs: the federal presumption and the 9/11 health and compensation programs.