Workers' Compensation - Occupational Disease Presumptions - Hypertension

HB 217 amends Maryland's workers' compensation law to establish a presumption that certain emergency responders develop hypertension as an occupational disease. It directly affects paid/volunteer firefighters, fire fighting instructors, rescue squad members, and advanced life support unit members (including State Fire Marshal personnel) who meet specific medical criteria. The bill deems hypertension compensable if the responder has blood pressure readings exceeding 140/90 (per NFPA 1582 standards) and has used prescribed hypertension medication for at least 90 consecutive days. This changes the process by removing the need to prove direct work causation for these specific cases, streamlining access to workers' compensation benefits for qualifying responders.