Workers' compensation: cancer presumption.

Existing law establishes a workers' compensation system, administered by the Administrative Director of the Division of Workers' Compensation, to compensate an employee for injuries sustained in the course of his or her employment. Existing law requires an employer to provide, or pay for all reasonable costs of, medical services necessary to care for or relieve work-related injuries. Existing law further provides that in the case of active firefighting members of certain state and local fire departments and in the case of certain peace officers, a compensable injury includes cancer that develops or manifests itself during the period when the firefighter or peace officer demonstrates that he or she was exposed, while in the service of the public agency, to a known carcinogen, as defined, and the carcinogen is reasonably linked to the disabling cancer. Existing law establishes a presumption that the cancer in these cases is presumed to arise out of, and in the course of, employment, unless the presumption is controverted by evidence that the primary site of the cancer has been established and that the carcinogen to which the member has demonstrated exposure is not reasonably linked to the disabling cancer. Existing law extends this presumption to a member following termination of service for a period of 3 calendar months for each full year of the requisite service, but not to exceed 60 months in any circumstance, commencing with the last date actually worked in the specified capacity. This bill would provide that the above-described presumption shall be extended to a member following termination of service for a period of 3 calender months, but not to exceed 120 months in any circumstance, commencing with the last date actually worked in the specified capacity.