Agenda Date: 02/06/2018
Subject:
Title
An ordinance on first reading adopting and entering into the Trust Agreement for the Colorado Firefighter Heart and Cancer Benefits Trust and taking other actions in connection therewith
Body
Presented By:
Julie Lanier, Acting HR Director
POLICY QUESTION:
Does city council support entering into the Trust Agreement for the Colorado Firefighter Heart and Cancer Benefits Trust and taking other actions in connection therewith?
BACKGROUND:
On May 3, 2017, Governor Hickenlooper signed SB 17-214 which allows an employer to participate in a voluntary firefighter cancer benefits program as a multiple employer health trust, to provide benefits to firefighters by paying contributions into the established trust.
The purpose of this statute is to provide supplemental income and reimbursement for out-of-pocket costs not otherwise paid for by insurance coverage to firefighters who contract covered cancers and to reduce the cost of Workers' Compensation insurance for employers of firefighters. This is not a replacement for Workers' Compensation coverage or any other kind of medical insurance. This revised statue does not eliminate or curtail the obligation of an employer of firefighters to participate in the state Workers' Compensation system, nor does it eliminate or curtail the right of a firefighter to pursue benefits under the state Workers' Compensation system. Rather, it provides a practical alternative for firefighters to deal with the costs and burdens of covered cancers without being forced to rely on recovering compensation under the rebuttable presumption created by House Bill 07-1008 (Chapter 187, Section 1 (3) and (4), SB 17-214).
The bill gives local governments the option to join the trust. Should they choose to do so, workers' compensation expenses for these local governments may decrease. The precise impact to local governments will vary across jurisdictions and will depend on a number of factors, including the nu...
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