(Radio Iowa) – Firefighters and police officers in a state-run retirement system may now receive disability and death benefits if they’re diagnosed with any form of cancer. Governor Reynolds has signed the bill expanding state policy that had previously limited those benefits to just 14 types of cancer. Emily Broderick’s late husband was diagnosed with a type of liver cancer that wasn’t on the list, so his co-workers covered his shifts during his cancer treatment.

“Without them and their support and their willingness to show up for him, his job could have been on the line,” she said. “He wouldn’t have been getting paychecks and he could have been ultimately terminated from his position during his cancer fight.”

Joe Van Haalen is the president of the Des Moines Association of Professional Firefighters. He says because of the previous policy, firefighters in the Des Moines department covered an average of 120 shifts for each colleague getting treatment for a type of cancer that wasn’t covered. “It’s something that we wanted to do, that we wanted to take care of them, but it’s also a significant burden on our members,” he said. “And so with this legislation, we won’t have to worry about that and their families won’t have to worry about that anymore. That’ll all be covered.”

Governor Reynolds says the new policy recognizes the selfless service of firefighters and ensures they get the care they deserve.