Bill
S 1914
The bill creates a rebuttable presumption that Parkinson’s disease in listed firefighters and related personnel is work-related for disability/death benefits, expanding eligibility
Status: Introduced (filed 01/14/2025); REFERRED TO HEALTH. (See legislative actions below.)
Purpose
- Establishes a statutory presumption that Parkinson’s disease diagnosed in certain firefighting- and fire‑related personnel is an occupational (line‑of‑duty) condition for purposes of disability, death and retirement benefits under Massachusetts retirement law. The presumption is intended to make it easier for eligible members to obtain disability or death benefits tied to service-related injury or illness.
Key provisions
- Adds a new Section 94C to Chapter 32 of the Massachusetts General Laws.
- Creates a presumption that Parkinson’s disease causing total or partial disability or death in covered workers “shall be presumed to have been suffered in the line of duty” if the member successfully passed a physical examination on entry (or subsequent to entry) that did not show evidence of the condition.
- The presumption may be rebutted: an employer/retirement system may overcome it only by a preponderance of the evidence showing that non‑service risk factors, accidents or hazards caused the incapacity.
- Covered personnel (explicitly listed) include:
- Uniformed members of paid municipal fire departments;
- Members of Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Department of Fire Services fire investigation unit and State Police K‑9 unit;
- Permanent crash crewmen, crash boatmen, fire controlmen and assistant fire controlmen employed at General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport;
- Members of the 104th Fighter Wing fire department;
- Members of the Joint Base Cape Cod fire department.
- Exclusions and conditions:
- The presumption does not apply to persons with fewer than five years in the covered position at the time the condition is first discovered (or should have been discovered).
- Persons who first discover the condition prior to or within five years of reaching maximum retirement age may apply; benefits, if granted, are payable retroactive to the last date the employee received regular compensation.
- Applicants must establish that they “regularly responded to calls of fire or their investigation at the scene” during some portion of their service in the covered position.
- Conforming amendments:
- Amendments are made to cross‑references in Chapter 31 (sec. 26) and Chapter 32 (secs. 100 and 100A) to include the new Section 94C.
- Scope and applicability:
- The law is written to apply to all retirement systems established under Chapter 32 (and similar provisions of other laws) and to governmental units that participate in such systems.
- Section 7 limits application to persons who were actively employed in the covered roles on or after the date exactly five years before the law’s effective date.
Who is affected
- Primary beneficiaries: eligible uniformed firefighters and the specifically enumerated fire‑related personnel listed above and their survivors (for death benefits).
- Fiscal/administrative impact: retirement systems and municipal/state employers may experience increased claims for line‑of‑duty disability/death benefits and associated costs; systems will also handle rebuttal determinations and benefit administration under the new presumption.
Procedural/Timeline notes
- Filed as Senate Docket No. 795 / Senate No. 1914 on 01/14/2025.
- Legislative actions (selected from provided record):
- 01/14/2025 — Referred to Health.
- 02/27/2025 — Referred to Committee on Public Service (per record).
- 05/22/2025 — Introduced in Senate; read twice and referred to Judiciary; hearing scheduled 05/28/2025.
- 05/22/2025 — (Also recorded) Read twice and referred to Judiciary.
- 10/30/2025 — Reported favorably by committee and referred to Senate Ways & Means.
- Related / predecessor measures: SD 795 (replaces), prior-session bills S 6056, S 333, S 5722, S 2545, S 3577; companion/related House measure A 1285.
Sponsors (as provided)
- Primary: Elizabeth A. Warren; Gustavo Rivera
- Co‑sponsors (listed): Richard Blumenthal; Jeff Merkley; Bernie Sanders; Edward J. Markey; Mazie K. Hirono; Luis R. Sepúlveda; Brad Hoylman‑Sigal; Julia Salazar; Lea Webb
(Note: sponsor list in the provided materials mixes federal and state names and may reflect clerical duplication; the bill text and dockets identify state legislators as petitioners/sponsors.)
Implications
- If enacted, S.1914 would lower barriers for covered firefighters and related personnel to obtain occupational disability and death benefits for Parkinson’s disease by establishing a rebuttable presumption of work‑related causation. Municipal and state retirement systems may see increased benefit liabilities and administrative workload to process claims and evaluate rebuttal evidence.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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