Today’s issue of WorkCompRecap features the release of a new Insights report from NCCI that provides the 2023 update to its white paper on presumptive coverage for firefighters and other first responders.
NCCI noted that it generally expects that the enactment of such presumptions will affect compensability and result in increases in workers’ comp system costs, but there are complexities involved in reasonably measuring them, which are covered in the paper. The update reflects changes since 2018 and describes the variety of presumptions being introduced and/or enacted in certain jurisdictions (including covered diseases and restrictions) and additional considerations when determining the impact on a workers’ comp system. Also cited are observations from firefighter cancer claim data reported to NCCI, where it appears that the administration and judicial interpretation of statutes may play a role in determining whether firefighters are eligible for and receive workers’ comp benefits for cancer.