O F F I C E O F L E G I S L A T I V E R E S E A R C H
P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
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PA 22-139—sSB 313
Labor and Public Employees Committee
AN ACT CONCERNING AD OPTION OF THE RECOMM ENDATIONS OF
THE TASK FORCE TO ST UDY CANCER RELIEF BE NEFITS FOR
FIREFIGHTERS
SUMMARY: This act requires each town to make annual contributions to the
state’s firefighters cancer relief account, which is used to provide wage replacement
benefits to eligible paid and volunteer firefighters diagnosed with cancer.
Beginning January 1, 2024, each town must generally contribute $10 for each
career or volunteer firefighter in its fire district or districts by December 15 of each
year. However, the act only requires towns to contribute funds for firefighters who
meet certain work experience and other criteria.
The act specifies that wage replacement benefit approval for a firefighter does
not create a presumption that the firefighter’s cancer was work-related for a
workers’ compensation claim.
The act also requires the:
1. Joint Council of Connecticut Fire Service Organizations to craft a
maintenance and remediation plan for toxic substances on firefighter
turnout gear and submit it to the Commission on Fire Prevention and
Control by July 1, 2023 (§ 1);
2. Workers’ Compensation Commission to (a) maintain a record of all
firefighters’ workers’ compensation claims made due to a cancer diagnosis
and (b) report a summary of the records to the Labor Committee each year
by January 1 (§ 2); and
3. comptroller to conduct a feasibility study on providing pension benefits to
firefighters who retired early due to a qualifying cancer diagnosis and had
not met the service years required for a full pension (§ 4).
EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage, except the provision on municipal
contributions to the firefighters cancer relief account is effective January 1, 2024.
§ 1 — TURNOUT GEAR REMEDIA TION PLAN
The act requires the Joint Council of Connecticut Fire Service Organizations,
in consultation with the Connecticut State Firefighters Association, to craft a
maintenance and remediation plan for toxic substances on firefighter turnout gear.
The plan must be submitted for approval to the Commission on Fire Prevention and
Control by July 1, 2023, and upon approval the commission must advise fire
departments on plan implementation.
Under the act, each fire department must adopt a maintenance and remediation
plan for toxic substances on firefighter turnout gear within 90 days after the
commission’s approval. O L R P U B L I C A C T S U M M A R Y
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§ 3 — FIREFIGHTERS CANCER RELIEF PROGRAM
By law and unchanged by the act, a subcommittee of the Connecticut State
Firefighters Association awards wage replacement benefits under the state’s
firefighters cancer relief program. The act specifies that an award does not create a
presumption that the firefighter’s cancer was work-related for a workers’
compensation claim for the cancer. It further provides that nothing in the program’s
law may be construed to diminish or affect in any manner a firefighter’s rights and
benefits or any rights and defenses that an employer may have under the state’s
workers’ compensation law.
Also by law and unchanged by the act, wage replacement awards through the
cancer relief program cannot be used as evidence, proof, or acknowledgment of
liability or causation in a workers’ compensation proceeding.
§ 4 — PENSION STUDY ON EARLY RETIREMENT DUE TO CANCER
The act requires the comptroller to study the feasibility of providing pension
benefits when a firefighter’s service years do not meet the full pension requirement
because a qualifying cancer diagnosis caused an early retirement. The study must
examine the feasibility of implementing a prorated benefit for early retirement
situations.
The comptroller must report the findings and any recommendations to the Labor
Committee. (The act does not provide a deadline for the study.)
§ 5 — MUNICIPAL PAYMENTS INTO THE FIREFIGHTERS CANCER
RELIEF ACCOUNT
Beginning January 1, 2024, the act requires each town to contribute $10 to the
firefighters cancer relief account for each career or volunteer firefighter in the
town’s fire district or districts. The contributions must be made by each December
15 and based on the number of career and volunteer firefighters in the town at the
time of the contribution.
Towns must only contribute funds for firefighters who have served at least five
years as (1) an interior structural firefighter at a paid municipal, state, or volunteer
fire department or (2) a local fire marshal, deputy fire marshal, fire investigator,
fire inspector, or other class of inspector or investigator whose position meets
minimum qualifications under state law set by the state fire marshal and the Codes
and Standards Committee. Further, the firefighters must also have (1) submitted to
annual physical examinations after starting their service that failed to reveal
evidence of cancer or a propensity for cancer and (2) not used cigarettes or any
other tobacco products, as defined in state law, within 15 years.