HOUSE BILL No. 4269

 

February 25, 2003, Introduced by Reps. Ehardt, Huizenga, Vander Veen and Voorhees and referred to the Committee on Employment Relations, Training and Safety.

        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1969 PA 317, entitled                                             

                                                                                

    "Worker's disability compensation act of 1969,"                             

                                                                                

    by amending section 405 (MCL 418.405), as amended by 1980                   

                                                                                

    PA 457.                                                                     

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 405.  (1) In the case of a member of a  full  fully                    

                                                                                

2   paid fire department of an airport run by a county  road                    

                                                                                

3   commission in counties of 1,000,000 population or more  or a                

                                                                                

4   public airport authority, or by a state university or college, or           

                                                                                

5   of a  full  fully paid fire or police department of a city,                 

                                                                                

6   township, or incorporated village employed and compensated upon a           

                                                                                

7   full-time basis, a county sheriff and the deputies of the county            

                                                                                

8   sheriff, members of the state police, conservation officers, and            

                                                                                

9   officers of the motor carrier  inspectors of the Michigan public            

                                                                                

10  service commission  enforcement division of the department of               

                                                                                


                                                                                

1   state police, "personal injury"  shall be construed to include              

                                                                                

2   respiratory  includes any of the following:                                 

                                                                                

3       (a) Respiratory and heart diseases or illnesses resulting                   

                                                                                

4   therefrom  which  that develop or manifest themselves during a              

                                                                                

5   period while the member of the department is in the active                  

                                                                                

6   service of the department.  and result from the performance of              

                                                                                

7   duties for the department.                                                  

                                                                                

8       (b) Infectious diseases, including, but not limited to, HIV,                

                                                                                

9   hepatitis, and tuberculosis, that manifest themselves within 5              

                                                                                

10  years of a period that the member of the department was in the              

                                                                                

11  active service of the department.                                           

                                                                                

12      (2)  Such respiratory  Respiratory and heart diseases  or                   

                                                                                

13  and illnesses and infectious diseases resulting therefrom are               

                                                                                

14  deemed  considered to arise out of and in the course of                    

                                                                                

15  employment in the absence of affirmative evidence  to the                   

                                                                                

16  contrary  of non-work-related causation, that is not merely                 

                                                                                

17  evidence of a preexisting heart or respiratory disease nor a                

                                                                                

18  medical opinion that the occupation had no effect on a previously           

                                                                                

19  weakened heart.                                                             

                                                                                

20      (3)  As a condition precedent to  Before filing an                          

                                                                                

21  application for benefits,  the  a claimant  , if he or she is one           

                                                                                

22  of those enumerated  described in subsection (1)  ,  shall first            

                                                                                

23  make application  apply for  ,  and do all things necessary to             

                                                                                

24  qualify for any pension benefits  which  that he or she, or his             

                                                                                

25  or her decedent,  may be  is entitled to or shall demonstrate               

                                                                                

26  that he or she, or his or her decedent, is ineligible for any               

                                                                                

27  pension benefits.  If a final determination is made that pension            

                                                                                


                                                                                

1   benefits shall not be awarded or that the applicant, or his or              

                                                                                

2   her decedent, is ineligible for any pension benefits, then the              

                                                                                

3   presumption of "personal injury" as provided in this section                

                                                                                

4   shall apply  applies The employer or employee may request 2             

                                                                                

5   copies of the determination denying pension benefits, 1 copy of             

                                                                                

6   which may be filed with the bureau.                                         

                                                                                

7       (4) If an employee described in subsection (1) is eligible                  

                                                                                

8   for any pension benefits, that eligibility shall not prohibit the           

                                                                                

9   employee or dependents of that employee from receiving benefits             

                                                                                

10  under section 315 for the medical expenses or portion of medical            

                                                                                

11  expenses that are not provided for by the pension program.  The             

                                                                                

12  presumption in subsection (2) shall apply to the medical benefits           

                                                                                

13  provided under section 315.