This bill directs the Department of Defense to create a compensation fund for military firefighters and their survivors who have been sickened by exposure to PFAS, chemicals found in firefighting foam commonly used at military bases. The Secretary of Defense must establish the program within two years of the bill's passage and provide compensation for illnesses that developed as a result of occupational exposure to these harmful substances. Current and former military firefighters who worked at military installations, National Guard facilities, or former defense sites during periods when PFAS was present are presumed to have been exposed unless evidence suggests otherwise. Eligible individuals would receive compensation for disabilities and illnesses, medical benefits including services and supplies prescribed by physicians, and necessary transportation expenses, with payments to deceased firefighters' survivors distributed according to a specified order of family members. The bill authorizes whatever funding is necessary to operate the compensation program but does not specify an exact dollar amount.
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