AN ACT RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES -- RELIEF OF INJURED AND DECEASED FIRE FIGHTERS AND POLICE OFFICERS .

Police gain disability protections with eligibility limits

Effective upon passage, this Rhode Island law extends firefighters' line-of-duty disability presumption to police officers. When heart disease, stroke, or hypertension prevents them from working, the condition is presumed to be a line-of-duty injury or disability. This entitles them to related statutory benefits despite conflicting laws, unless clear and convincing evidence rebuts the presumption. For firefighters and police officers hired after July 1, 2025, the presumption has two exclusions. It does not apply if a hiring exam found heart disease or hypertension, or if they regularly or habitually used tobacco products during the five years before the diagnosis or stroke.