On May 3, Governor Hickenlooper signed Senate Bill 17-214 during a ceremony in his office. The bill, which had passed the House and Senate unanimously, was the result of more than two years of meetings, discussions, and legislative crafting by a multitude of partners. This new statute will enable the CFH Trust to create a first of its kind program to deliver rapid cancer benefits to firefighters suffering from one of five covered types of cancer: brain, digestive, genitourinary, hematological, and skin.
This program will allow participating fire departments to opt in to the Trust’s new Cancer Program and releases them from the 2007 presumptive cancer statute. This will allow fire departments to reign in workers’ compensation costs while delivering more timely payments to firefighters. In every regard, this is a win for firefighters and fire departments alike. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all contributors for their tireless work and spirit of cooperation in this historic accomplishment.
Going Forward
This news raises a lot of questions regarding how the Trust’s program will operate, and how workers’ compensation providers will respond. Here are a few fast facts to consider for now:
- The program’s target start date is July 1, 2017, which mirrors the existing Heart Program’s coverage term.
- Each program will work independently with no requirement to join both.
- The Trust’s official name will be changed to the Colorado Firefighter Heart and Cancer Benefits Trust (CFHC Trust).
- While it is not yet known what other workers’ compensation providers will do, the Colorado Special Districts Property and Liability Pool (CSD Pool) will be offsetting 100% of the cost of this coverage for members of its Workers’ Compensation program. For more information regarding this, contact the CSD Pool.
- Visit this page for additional updates as they become available.
- Please visit the FAQ for further information
