I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4306 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish presumptions of service 
connection for diseases associated with firefighting. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 22, 2023 
Ms. SPANBERGER (for herself, Mr. BACON, Mr. GOTTHEIMER, Mr. BEYER, 
Ms. NORTON, Mr. CARBAJAL, Mrs. HINSON, Ms. SLOTKIN, Ms. GARCIA 
of Texas, Mr. CROW, Ms. TITUS, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. NEGUSE, Ms. 
OMAR, and Ms. WEXTON) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 
A BILL 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish presump-
tions of service connection for diseases associated with 
firefighting. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Michael Lecik Military 
Firefighters Protection Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. PRESUMPTIONS OF SERVICE CONNECTION FOR DIS-
EASES ASSOCIATED WITH FIREFIGHTING. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Subchapter II of chapter 11 
of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at 
the end the following new section: 
‘‘§ 1120A. Presumptions of service connection for dis-
eases associated with firefighting 
‘‘(a) SERVICE CONNECTION.—For the purposes of 
section 1110 of this title, and subject to section 1113 of 
this title, a disease specified in subsection (b) becoming 
manifest in a veteran described in subsection (c) to a de-
gree of disability specified in subsection (d) and within the 
period specified in subsection (e) shall be considered to 
have been incurred in or aggravated during active military, 
naval, or air service, notwithstanding that there is no 
record of evidence of such disease during a period of such 
service. 
‘‘(b) SPECIFIED DISEASES.—The diseases specified 
in this subsection are the following: 
‘‘(1) Heart disease. 
‘‘(2) Lung disease. 
‘‘(3) Brain cancer. 
‘‘(4) Cancer of the blood or lymphatic systems. 
‘‘(5) Leukemia. 
‘‘(6) Lymphoma (except Hodgkin’s disease). 
‘‘(7) Multiple myeloma. 
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‘‘(8) Bladder cancer. 
‘‘(9) Kidney cancer. 
‘‘(10) Cancer of the reproductive system (in-
cluding testicular cancer). 
‘‘(11) Cancer of the digestive system. 
‘‘(12) Colon cancer. 
‘‘(13) Liver cancer. 
‘‘(14) Skin cancer. 
‘‘(15) Lung cancer. 
‘‘(16) Breast cancer. 
‘‘(17) Each additional disease (if any) that the 
Secretary determines in regulations prescribed under 
this section— 
‘‘(A) warrants a presumption of service 
connection by reason of having positive associa-
tion with firefighting; and 
‘‘(B) becomes manifest within the period 
(if any) prescribed in such regulations in a vet-
eran described in subsection (c), notwithstand-
ing subsection (e). 
‘‘(c) COVERED VETERANS.—A veteran described in 
this subsection is a veteran who— 
‘‘(1) is trained in fire suppression; and 
‘‘(2) served on active duty in a military occupa-
tional specialty or career field with a primary re-
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sponsibility for firefighting or damage control for at 
least five years in the aggregate. 
‘‘(d) DEGREE OF DISABILITY.—The degree of dis-
ability specified in this subsection is 10 percent or more. 
‘‘(e) PERIOD.—The period specified in this subsection 
is within 15 years of the date on which the veteran sepa-
rated from active military, naval, or air service. 
‘‘(f) EFFECTIVE DATE OF AWARD.—The effective 
date of an award under this section shall be determined 
in accordance with section 5110 of this title.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting 
after the item relating to section 1120 the following new 
item: 
‘‘1120A. Presumptions of service connection for diseases associated with fire-
fighting.’’. 
Æ 
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