Jumpline magazine JUNE 2023 pages - Flipbook - Page 36
36
Keith Tyson, Florida State Director
Firefighter Cancer Support Network
You have Cancer!
Now let’s discuss the Florida Firefighter Cancer Presumption Bill and
what you need to know to access it.
1.
You must be a full-time firefighter or fire investigator.
2.
You must have at least 5 years on the job, not used tobacco
products for the 5 years prior to diagnosis and not worked
in any other job that had a higher risk for any cancer.
3.
If you are a RETIREE, you are eligible for these benefits for
10 years after you leave the job, ASSUMING that you DO
NOT get hired by another department. If you do, then you
start at #2 above all over again! It also needs to be noted
that you MUST continue to carry the employer sponsored
health plan or group health insurance trust after terminating
your employment.
Those may be the worst words
you will ever hear, and for too
many of us, they are far more
common than you think!
The following 21 cancers are
covered under the bill:
For those of you on the job since 2008, we wont have worked
together. I worked for MDFR for 34 years, and retired on January 1, 2008. In June of that same year, I was diagnosed with an
aggressive form of prostate cancer at the age of 55. I began to
look at our department issues and became, what many say, a
subject matter expert on firefighter cancer issues, as well as an
expert on prevention techniques used in our profession. Since
forming the Firefighter Cancer Support Network Florida Chapter (FCSN) in 2009, I have assisted hundreds of firefighters that
have heard those exact words.
1. Bladder
2. Brain
3. Breast
4. Cervical
5. Colon
6. Esophageal
7. Invasive
8. Kidney
9. Large intestine
10. Lung
11. Malignant
SO, I want to give you some knowledge that you can file away,
yet hopefully, will never need to use.
There are specific nuances with each, so please read carefully.
If you are diagnosed, the FCSN can assist you in the following
ways:
1.
If you’d like, we can refer you to another member who has
already gone through a similar cancer. We are all firefighters that have been diagnosed with some form of cancer and
are more than willing to share our experiences and knowledge with you. We do not intend to tell you what you MUST
do. Instead, we explain what we did and what worked.
2.
We will ship a toolbox directly to your home filled with information which will help you throughout your own cancer
journey.
3.
If you would like to get a SECOND OPINION, we are able to fast track you into the
University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Moffit in Tampa, Baptist MD-Anderson in Jacksonville, or for
those retirees in Georgia, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, just south of Atlanta. In almost all cases, they will have
an appointment with a specialist set up for
you within 72 hours (not including weekends or holidays).
4.
12. Mesothelioma
13. Multiple myeloma
14. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
15. Oral cavity and pharynx
16. Ovarian
17. Prostate
18. Rectal
19. Stomach
20. Testicular
21. Thyroid cancer
If you have one of those cancers, and you meet criteria 1-3
under the bill, then you are entitled to the following, in lieu of
workers comp benefits:
1.
A one-time payment of $25,000 (depending upon the department, some have taxed this amount, and some have
paid the entire amount to the member). I always remind
members that this is a one-time career payment. So, if
you are at the beginning of your career, get diagnosed with
invasive skin cancer, and collect the $25K, remember that
if you get a more serious cancer later (which according to
recent studies is likely) and it takes you out of a pay status,
you are not eligible for an additional $25K!
2.
Additionally, “the employer shall pay
for ANY and ALL out-of-pocket deductibles,
copayments, or coinsurance costs incurred
due to the “treatment of the cancer.”
There is more that we can talk about on this
subject but if you have questions, please feel
free to reach out to me directly via e-mail at
KTYSON@FCSN.net or on my cell: 786 3513276. DO NOT TEXT ME, as the phone is
forwarded to another number and texts do
not forward.
Just last year, I personally assisted 59
members with their diagnosis, and helped
them begin their road to treatment and recovery.
Stay safe
and CANCER FREE!
June 2023 | JUMPLINE Magazine
