Is your cancer covered by your state's firefighter law?

Firefighter cancer claim basics

Most claims for firefighter cancer go through workers' comp. When the job makes you sick, comp covers your medical bills and part of the pay you lost.

Proof is the hard part. Insurers often say your cancer came from somewhere else, since it takes years to show up.

That changes under a presumption law. Your state assumes certain cancers are job-related, and your employer must prove otherwise.

A presumption like this exists in 41 states, and every state sets its own list of cancers and its own rules. Some want years on the job, a medical exam you passed when you started, or no tobacco use.

If your cancer isn't on the list

You can file anyway. Without a presumption, you need a doctor to state that the smoke, soot or chemicals on the job caused your cancer or made it worse.

A claim about firefighting foam is a separate one, brought against the companies that made the foam. Check the latest on foam lawsuits, or look into other cancer benefits.