Provides access to periodic cancer screening examinations for volunteer firefighters through SHBP physicians and other providers.
This bill requires volunteer firefighters in New Jersey to be offered periodic cancer screening examinations through physicians participating in the State Health Benefits Program network. The screenings must begin no less than three years after the firefighter starts volunteer service and then recur every three years thereafter. The bill specifies that the exam must include screening, when applicable, for a list of cancers including colon, lung, bladder, oral, thyroid, skin, blood, breast, cervical, testicular, and prostate cancer.
The bill also directs that these screenings be provided without cost-sharing to the firefighter. Physicians or other providers may be reimbursed by the State for the cost of the examination, up to $1,250 in the aggregate per firefighter per three-year period, with payment subject to proof acceptable to the Department of the Treasury. Fire districts and volunteer fire departments, units, or companies must maintain records to support reimbursement, and the bill requires annual appropriations from the General Fund as needed to fund the program.
The bill expands a cancer-screening benefit already available to paid firefighters under current law to unpaid volunteer firefighters serving in fire districts, fire departments, units, companies, or political subdivisions of the State. It supplements Title 52 of the Revised Statutes and creates a new State-funded reimbursement mechanism for qualifying screenings provided by SHBP-network physicians and other providers. The measure would affect volunteer firefighters, fire districts, and participating medical providers, while also requiring state budget appropriations to cover the reimbursements.
The available voting history suggests strong support for the bill, with the Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee reporting it favorably by a 5-0 vote. The bill’s purpose is framed as extending an existing health protection to volunteer firefighters, which generally indicates a positive reception focused on firefighter health and cancer prevention. No committee transcript is available, but the unanimous committee vote points to broad agreement on the need for the measure.
The main policy issues raised by the text are fiscal and administrative rather than ideological. The bill requires annual appropriations from the General Fund and caps reimbursement at $1,250 per firefighter per three-year period, so the cost to the State and the mechanics of verifying claims may be points of scrutiny. Another practical issue is recordkeeping by volunteer fire organizations, which must maintain adequate records to facilitate payment. No recorded committee debate is available, so there is no evidence of significant opposition in the provided materials.