COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio lawmakers are weighing a proposal that would fine municipalities if they challenge firefighters’ cancer claims and lose on appeal.
State Sen. Tom Patton (R–District 24), who introduced Senate Bill 241 in July, delivered sponsor testimony on Nov. 18, during the bill’s first hearing before the Ohio Financial Institutions, Insurance and Technology Committee, News 5 Cleveland reported.
| MORE: ‘You can’t save anybody if you don’t save yourself first’: 4 firefighter cancer stories
Patton’s bill would impose a mandatory $50,000 fine on any city, town or municipality that appeals a firefighter’s cancer claim approved under the Michael Louis Palumbo Jr. Act and then loses. The money would be paid directly to the firefighter.
The measure would also allow firefighters to keep receiving compensation and medical benefits while their claims are under appeal.
“It is a tragedy that firefighters are diagnosed with this cancer and now are being forced to defend themselves from these frivolous appeals without additional compensation,” Patton said. “These brave men and women serve our communities every single day, and they deserve our utmost gratitude.”
Earlier this year, News 5 found many Ohio cities routinely fight Palumbo Act cancer claims even after the state approves them. In his testimony, Patton cited Brecksville Firefighter Bruce Gordon, who died of cancer in 2023. The city is still contesting Palumbo Act benefits for his widow in court despite losing its first three appeals.
Between April 6, 2017, and April 2, 2025, Ohio’s Bureau of Workers’ Compensation approved 327 of 422 Palumbo Act cancer claims. Of the approved claims, 264 were appealed, forcing firefighters and their families to fight their own employers for benefits the state had already granted.
