To amend title 5, United States Code, to include Parkinson’s disease in the list of illnesses and diseases deemed to be proximately caused by employment in fire protection activities, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMs. Hoyle of Oregon (for herself, Mrs. Houchin, Mr. LaLota, …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill amends federal law (5 U.S.C. Section 8143b(b)) to add Parkinson's disease to the list of illnesses that are legally presumed to have been caused by working as a firefighter. Currently, the law contains a list of conditions (like certain cancers) where federal firefighters don't have to prove their job caused the illness to receive workers' compensation benefits. This bill adds Parkinson's disease to that list.
Who Benefits and How
Federal Firefighters with Parkinson's Disease: The primary beneficiaries are federal firefighters who develop Parkinson's disease. Instead of having to prove their job caused their illness (which can be very difficult and costly), they will now have a "presumption" that their firefighting work caused it. This means:
- Easier access to workers' compensation benefits
- Reduced legal burden and costs
- Faster claims processing
- Medical treatment and disability benefits become more accessible
Families of Affected Firefighters: Family members benefit from their loved ones receiving proper compensation and medical care.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal Workers' Compensation System (FECA): The Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) will see increased claims and payouts for Parkinson's disease cases among firefighters. This is a cost borne by the federal government (taxpayers).
No Private Sector Impact: This bill specifically targets federal firefighters covered under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act; it does not affect state, local, or private-sector firefighters or employers.
Key Provisions
- Section 1: Amends 5 U.S.C. 8143b(b)(2) to insert "Parkinson's disease" into the existing enumerated list of presumptive conditions for firefighters, redesignating existing subparagraphs to accommodate the addition.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Adds Parkinson's disease to the list of illnesses and conditions that are legally presumed to be caused by employment in fire protection activities, allowing federal firefighters to receive workers' compensation benefits for Parkinson's disease without proving direct causation.
Policy Domains
Section 1 - Parkinson's Disease Presumption
Likely Beneficiaries
- Federal Firefighters
- Firefighters with Parkinson's Disease
Likely Burden Bearers
- Federal Workers' Compensation Program
- Federal Government (FECA Fund)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_office"
- → Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP)
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology