Sec. 11-329. Death Benefits

There shall be a death benefit of Fifteen Thousand Dollars ($15,000) payable upon the death of any member of a County volunteer fire department or rescue squad. This payment shall be a one time, lump sum and shall be paid within ten (10) calendar days from the date of the volunteer's death. It shall be paid to the person or persons specified by the volunteer in accordance with duly authorized personnel procedures of the County.

In addition, there shall be a line of duty death benefit for every year the member of a County volunteer fire department or rescue squad served over ten (10) years of Three Thousand Dollars ($3,000) per year, and Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000) per year for every year served over fifteen (15) years.

The death of any active member caused by lung disease, heart disease, hypertension, leukemia, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, throat cancer, multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, brain cancer, testicular cancer or breast cancer, shall be presumed to be service-connected and to have been suffered in the line of duty and as a result of his/her membership of these volunteer fire departments or rescue squads unless evidence is produced which shall demonstrate a reasonable degree of medical certainty that the member's death is not related to their service in a volunteer fire department or rescue squad. This subsection shall apply to an individual who completed at least ten (10) years of service as a firefighter, firefighting instructor, rescue squad member, technical rescue basic life support unit member, or advanced life support unit member, auxiliary member, administrative member or in a combination of those jobs in the County. For purposes of this Subsection, an active member shall mean someone who has earned at least fifty (50) Length of Service Award Program points. This Subsection shall only extend medical presumption to the County death benefit outlined in Section 11-329(b), and shall not be applied to Maryland Workers' Compensation Law for disability benefits.

Subsection (c) shall only apply to those members who have completed a base line physical to include screenings consistent with National Fire Protection Association ("NFPA") 1582 criteria for cancer, lung disease, heart disease, and hypertension; and shall submit documentation of an annual physical to include screenings consistent with NFPA 1582 criteria for those meeting the risk factor of a comprehensive screening for cancer, lung disease, heart disease, and hypertension. The annual physical may be performed by a County vendor, or the member's primary care physician at the expense of the member or the member's insurance. A copy of the member's physical results will be sent to Fire Department Risk Management. The required documentation from for the annual physical performed by a personal physician shall include a checklist of required screenings consistent with Prince George's County and NFPA 1582 standards. A member may opt for additional tests and evaluations as directed by the member's primary care physician. If a member chooses not to participate in the annual physical, it shall not affect his or her volunteer status. A member's medical documents from an annual physical shall become property of the Fire Department Risk Management and be subject to all medical record review rules and regulations in concert with HIPPA, shall remain confidential, and shall not be reviewed by the County without the express consent of the member. Former members who are no longer volunteers shall qualify for a medical presumption under Subsection (c) if they meet other eligibility requirements and were active members within the last five (5) years preceding their diagnosis.