HR4453-119

What This Bill Does

This bill amends federal workers' compensation presumptions for fire protection employees. Section 8143b(b)(2) of title 5 already lists illnesses and diseases deemed proximately caused by employment in fire protection activities. The bill inserts Parkinson's disease into that list. The effect is to reduce the evidentiary burden on covered federal firefighters and other covered fire-protection employees with Parkinson's disease when they seek compensation or related benefits, because they would no longer have to prove ordinary causation in the same way a non-presumptive claimant would.

Who Benefits and How

Federal firefighters benefit because Parkinson's disease becomes a presumptive fire-protection employment illness. Covered fire-protection employees with Parkinson's disease benefit from a lower causation burden in compensation claims. Families of affected federal firefighters benefit if claims are approved more quickly or with less evidentiary dispute. Federal employee advocates benefit from explicit statutory recognition of Parkinson's disease in the fire-protection presumption list.

Who Bears the Burden and How

The Office of Workers' Compensation Programs must administer claims using the expanded presumption. Federal agencies employing fire-protection personnel may face higher accepted-claim costs. Claims examiners must update guidance and adjudication procedures for Parkinson's disease claims. Federal taxpayers bear the cost of any additional compensation claims paid under the presumption.

Key Provisions

• Adds Parkinson's disease to title 5 section 8143b(b)(2).
• Provides presumptive causation for covered fire-protection employment claims involving Parkinson's disease.
• Requires workers' compensation administrators to treat Parkinson's disease like other listed fire-protection illnesses.
• Reduces claimant burden compared with proving individual occupational causation from scratch.