Committee backs new leave code, administration outlines expanded firefighter cancer supports

The Budget & Finance Committee voted unanimously to ask the city and union to create a new leave code for follow-up medical appointments tied to approved occupational cancer claims.

The motion, sponsored by the mayor and signed by all nine city council members, directs the city and union to establish a new leave category to cover follow-up appointments for members with prior, approved occupational cancer claims. The committee voted to forward the motion to full Cincinnati City Council on Wednesday.

The action followed a presentation from Kelsey Bridal, deputy director in human resources, and Deb Allison, risk manager in the finance department, on measures the city has implemented to support firefighters diagnosed with cancer. Bridal told the committee the city and the union are negotiating a proposed contract article titled cancer follow-up leave that would let members with approved occupational cancer claims use leave for follow-up appointments with no annual cap and would aim to restore leave balances used since December 2023.

Deb Allison described a suite of administrative steps the city has taken. “This automatically allows those cancer claims to go through at $0 for the employees,” Allison said of a specialty health plan offered through Anthem and the city’s third‑party administrators. She said the plan began as a May 2024 pilot with six firefighters and that number has grown to 12 actively treating members. Allison also said the city is offering an Anthem Cancer Care Navigator concierge to employees and their families and has removed screening‑eligibility barriers for firefighters effective Jan. 1, 2025, so physician‑ordered preventive cancer screening is covered at 100 percent for firefighters.

Bridal described a separate RFP and contract award for an on‑duty, in‑house annual physical and comprehensive cancer‑screening program designed to meet NFPA and OSHA standards and to screen for at least 15 cancer risks associated with fire service.

Council members pressed staff on timing and process. Council member Walsh asked why initial administrative filings often show a rejection within the state’s 30‑day window; Allison said the city frequently must enter an administrative rejection while waiting for medical records and that the state does not provide an exception to the 30‑day filing rule. Vice mayor Kearney reiterated that Ohio’s Palumbo Act creates a presumption that firefighter cancer is work‑related and said the primary barrier has been coding and payroll tracking rather than the presumption itself.

Melissa Arnold, first vice president of Cincinnati Firefighters Local 48, urged approval of the two motions related to firefighter benefits on the committee agenda. “We are requesting that you approve the motions today,” Arnold said.

The committee also discussed operational details of implementing any new leave code, including a proposed IOC payroll code to distinguish occupational illness time from physical injury time for tracking and reporting purposes. Bridal said staff are negotiating the leave policy and a draft memorandum of understanding with Local 48 and plan a follow‑up meeting with the union on Sept. 30.

The committee passed the motion creating the new leave code by unanimous roll call and will present the item to full council for final action Wednesday.

What’s next: The committee forwarded the motion to city council, and staff said they will continue negotiating final policy language and compiling lists of affected employees to determine retroactive remedies.