Previously, volunteer firefighters had to pony up their own insurance for cancer, except for lung cancer. New York state law covers 23 types of cancer for professional firefighters but only covers lung cancer for volunteers. That ends Jan. 1, 2019, when the new law goes into effect.
Volunteer firefighters and their families have faced costly obstacles when fighting cancer that their professional brethren don’t face, such as, a loss of income from having to take leaves of absence, the cost of getting care in a cancer center in a city like New York, plus travel time, food and co-pays from the doctor visits.
The bill provides that volunteers who get certain types of cancers — lung, prostate, breast, lymphatic, hematological, digestive, urinary, neurological, reproductive system or melanoma — will receive tax-free disability and death benefits.
Volunteer firefighters are covered as long as they had no evidence of cancer during their initial physical when volunteering or they have five years of service as interior-building firefighters.
