Michael Lecik Military Firefighters Protection Act
Bill: H.R.2111 | Sponsor: Rep. Spanberger, Abigail Davis (D-VA)
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Michael Lecik Military Firefighters Protection Act
This bill establishes a presumption of service-connection for specified diseases becoming manifest in certain veterans to a degree of disability of 10% or more within 15 years of the veteran's separation from active military, naval, or air service. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific diseases or disabilities diagnosed in certain veterans are presumed to have been caused by the circumstances of their military service. Health care benefits and disability compensation may then be awarded.
Veterans addressed by this bill are those who (1) are trained in fire suppression, and (2) served on active duty in a military occupational specialty or career field with a primary responsibility of firefighting or damage control for at least five years in the aggregate.

To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish presumptions of 
     service connection for diseases associated with firefighting.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 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''.

SEC. 2. PRESUMPTIONS OF SERVICE CONNECTION FOR DISEASES 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:
``Sec. 1119. Presumptions of service connection for diseases 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 degree 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.
            ``(8) Bladder cancer.
            ``(9) Kidney cancer.
            ``(10) Cancer of the reproductive system (including 
        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 association with 
                firefighting; and
                    ``(B) becomes manifest within the period (if any) 
                prescribed in such regulations in a veteran described 
                in subsection (c), notwithstanding 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 occupational 
        specialty or career field with a primary responsibility for 
        firefighting or damage control for at least five years in the 
        aggregate.
    ``(d) Degree of Disability.--The degree of disability 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 separated 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 
1118 the following new item:

``1119. Presumptions of service connection for diseases associated with 
                            firefighting.''.
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