Michael Lecik Military Firefighters Protection Act

This bill, known as the Michael Lecik Military Firefighters Protection Act, aims to establish new presumptions of service connection for certain diseases among military veterans. It amends title 38, United States Code, to simplify the process for veterans to receive disability benefits for conditions linked to their firefighting service. The legislation mandates that specified diseases, when manifesting under certain conditions, be considered incurred or aggravated during active duty, even without prior service records. The bill outlines a comprehensive list of specified diseases , including heart disease, lung disease, and numerous cancers such as brain, blood, lymphatic, bladder, kidney, reproductive, digestive, colon, liver, skin, lung, and breast cancer. To be covered, a veteran must be trained in fire suppression and have served at least five years in aggregate in a military occupational specialty or career field with primary firefighting or damage control responsibilities. The disease must manifest to a degree of 10 percent or more disability and within 15 years of separation from active service to qualify for this presumption.