‘This is about peace of mind’: Marion County firefighter fights for cancer benefits

MARION COUNTY, Fla. — A former Marion County firefighter who is now fighting cancer is also battling for benefits to help pay for his treatment.

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Channel 9 learned from court records why the county refuses to approve his benefits despite a new state law passed five years ago.

Phillip Shinn’s work as a Marion County firefighter was a badge of honor until he retired in 2016.

Six years after he retired, in 2022, he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.

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He thought he was covered by this law passed in 2019, which provides benefits firefighters as an alternative to pursuing workers’ compensation.

“The law was pretty clear that you would be entitled to these benefits,” Shinn said. “This is not about wealth; this is about peace of mind as we all know, cancer treatments are expensive.”

But the county doesn’t see it that way, citing case law of other firefighters trying to make the same claim.

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In response to Shinn’s lawsuit, the county argues that because Shinn retired in 2016, he was not employed as a firefighter when the state law took effect and was not on the county’s health plan at the time of his diagnosis in 2022.

Shinn said that when he stopped his county coverage at age 65 and moved to a county Medicare option, he didn’t know it would lead to this.

The county, though, leaning on the language, would’ve also provided Shinn with a one-time cash payout of $25,000 upon his initial diagnosis, which may have helped.

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“One of the first shocks we received was that I was prescribed an oral medication alongside the other stuff I received,” Shinn said. “And I got a call from the compounding pharmacy that my copay would be 3,000 and I said, ‘Is that for the year?’ They said that’s for the month.”

There is a hearing scheduled for next month in this case.

Shinn knows that even if he prevails, the county will likely appeal, and in previous cases, the appellate court has sided with the municipality.

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