2005 Arizona Revised Statutes - Revised Statutes §38-644  Eligibility

A. Except as provided in subsections B, C and D, to qualify for covered benefits under the program, a person must satisfy all of the following criteria:

1. Be an active or retired member of the public safety personnel retirement system.

2. Be a firefighter who is or was regularly assigned to hazardous duty of the type normally expected of a firefighter.

3. Have cancer that was first diagnosed after the person's date of membership in the public safety personnel retirement system.

B. Persons who terminate employment with a participating employer are not eligible for benefits under the program unless the person has made a valid claim for payment of expenses under the program before termination of employment.

C. On retirement, persons who were either receiving benefits under the program before retirement or who are diagnosed with cancer subsequent to retirement remain eligible for coverage under the program for five months for each year of credited service accumulated toward retirement under the public safety personnel retirement system.

D. A person whose eligibility to receive benefits under subsection C is expiring may continue to remain eligible for coverage under the program if the person makes an election with the fund manager and pays to the fund manager the cost of the premium as determined by the fund manager at the time determined by the fund manager.

E. A person is not eligible for benefits under the program if there is any evidence that the cancer that forms the basis for a benefit claim under the program existed before the person's membership in the public safety personnel retirement system.