Florida Senate - 2026                                     SB 984
       
       
        
       By Senator DiCeglie
       
       
       
       
       
       18-00836A-26                                           2026984__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to firefighter cancer benefits and
    3         prevention; amending s. 112.1816, F.S.; revising
    4         conditions under which a specified one-time payment
    5         must be made by a former employer upon a firefighter’s
    6         cancer diagnosis; requiring a former employer to
    7         provide death benefits for a specified timeframe under
    8         certain circumstances; deleting the requirement for
    9         the Division of State Fire Marshal to adopt rules for
   10         establishing employer cancer prevention best
   11         practices; providing an effective date.
   12          
   13  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   14  
   15         Section 1. Subsection (2), paragraph (c) of subsection (4),
   16  and subsection (6) of section 112.1816, Florida Statutes, are
   17  amended to read:
   18         112.1816 Firefighters; cancer diagnosis.—
   19         (2) Upon a diagnosis of cancer, a firefighter is entitled
   20  to the following benefits, as an alternative to pursuing
   21  workers’ compensation benefits under chapter 440, if the
   22  firefighter has been employed by his or her employer for at
   23  least 5 continuous years, has not used tobacco products for at
   24  least the preceding 5 years, and has not been employed in any
   25  other position in the preceding 5 years which is proven to
   26  create a higher risk for any cancer:
   27         (a) Cancer treatment covered within an employer-sponsored
   28  health plan or through a group health insurance trust fund. The
   29  employer must timely reimburse the firefighter for any out-of
   30  pocket deductible, copayment, or coinsurance costs incurred due
   31  to the treatment of cancer. If the firefighter elects to
   32  continue coverage in the employer-sponsored health plan or group
   33  health insurance trust fund after he or she terminates
   34  employment, such benefits must be made available by his or her
   35  former employer for 10 years after the date on which the
   36  firefighter terminated employment so long as the firefighter
   37  otherwise met the criteria specified in this subsection when he
   38  or she terminated employment and was not employed as a
   39  firefighter after that date.
   40         (b) A one-time cash payout of $25,000, upon the
   41  firefighter’s initial diagnosis of cancer. Such benefit must be
   42  made available by his or her former employer for 10 years after
   43  the date on which the firefighter terminates employment so long
   44  as the firefighter otherwise met the criteria specified in this
   45  subsection when he or she terminated employment and was not
   46  employed as a firefighter after that date.
   47         (c) Leave time and employee retention benefits equivalent
   48  to those provided for other injuries or illnesses incurred in
   49  the line of duty.
   50  
   51  If the firefighter elects to continue coverage in the employer
   52  sponsored health plan or group health insurance trust fund after
   53  he or she terminates employment, the benefits specified in
   54  paragraphs (a) and (b) must be made available by the former
   55  employer of a firefighter for 10 years following the date on
   56  which the firefighter terminates employment so long as the
   57  firefighter otherwise met the criteria specified in this
   58  subsection when he or she terminated employment and was not
   59  subsequently employed as a firefighter following that date.
   60         (4)
   61         (c) Firefighters who die as a result of cancer or
   62  circumstances that arise out of the treatment of cancer are
   63  considered to have died in the manner as described in s.
   64  112.191(2)(a), and all of the benefits arising out of such death
   65  are available to the deceased firefighter’s beneficiary. Such
   66  death benefits must be made available by the former employer of
   67  the firefighter for 1 year after the date on which the
   68  firefighter terminated employment so long as the firefighter
   69  otherwise met the criteria specified in this subsection when he
   70  or she terminated employment and was not employed as a
   71  firefighter after that date.
   72         (6) The Division of State Fire Marshal within the
   73  Department of Financial Services shall adopt rules to establish
   74  employer cancer prevention best practices as it relates to
   75  personal protective equipment, decontamination, fire suppression
   76  apparatus, and fire stations.
   77         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.