A Florida appellate court ruled Wednesday that the widow of a firefighter who died from brain cancer in 2020 had been improperly denied workers compensation death benefits.
In its ruling, the Court of Appeal of Florida, First District, said medical and indemnity benefits, along with a one-time $25,000 payment that firefighter Eric Siena received at the time of his diagnosis, did not preclude Christy Siena from seeking comp death benefits after his death.
Mr. Siena’s employer, Orange County, had denied the death benefits claim because he had received the other benefits under a separate section of state law.
The appeals court said the previous benefits fell under a section of the law that “explicitly permits firefighters – not their dependents or beneficiaries – to claim medical treatment and a one-time cash payout upon diagnosis,” and that this does not affect the right to death benefits for spouses.