Bill > H3163

This bill amends South Carolina's workers' compensation law to expand occupational disease protections for firefighters by modifying the existing presumption of work-related injury. Specifically, the bill adds stroke to the list of conditions (which already included heart disease and respiratory disease) that are presumed to be work-related for firefighters. The bill also changes the criteria for when these conditions are considered work-related, replacing the previous language of "actively engaged in fighting a fire" with "developed while actively on duty," which broadens the circumstances under which a firefighter can claim workers' compensation. To qualify for this presumption, firefighters who joined the department after May 29, 1968, must have been under 37 years old when joining and must have passed a physical examination that did not reveal the medical condition. The presumption applies to conditions developed during firefighting, technical rescue incidents, firefighter training exercises involving stressful physical activity, or within 24 hours of such activities, and explicitly does not apply to clerical, administrative, or sedentary work. The bill takes effect upon the Governor's approval, potentially providing expanded workers' compensation coverage for firefighters who develop stroke or other specified medical conditions in the line of duty.

Business and Industry, Justice

https://www.scstatehouse.gov/billsearch.php?billnumbers=3163&session=126&summary=B