Collins, Colleagues Urge Faster Processing for Firefighter Injury Claims

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), a co-chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, joined a group of her colleagues in calling on the Labor Department to expedite the creation of a special claims unit to handle firefighter compensation claims in advance of the 2022 wildfire season.

“Federal wildland firefighters have recently reported difficulty getting their medical treatment costs for work-related injuries covered by the government within a reasonable timeframe,” the Senators wrote in a letter to Christopher Godfrey, Director of the Labor Department’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs. “This is simply unacceptable – these firefighters put their lives at risk to defend American lives and property, and they deserve our support.”

“Your commitment to establish a special claims handling unit is an excellent first step to remedying this situation; we urge you to follow through expeditiously and to focus on handling the claims of both federal wildland firefighters and structural firefighters,” the Senators concluded.

In addition to Senator Collins, the letter was co-signed by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), and Tom Carper (D-DE).

The letter can be read in full here.

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