In February, the city of Austin refused to accept Suzanne LaFollette’s workers’ compensation claim, saying that her cancer diagnosis was not caused by her work.
AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin Firefighters Association is rallying behind a lieutenant who was denied workers’ compensation despite battling terminal cancer.
Suzanne LaFollette, a 19-year veteran of the Austin Fire Department, was diagnosed with Stage 4 ovarian and endometrial cancer in May 2025, but the city of Austin denied her workers’ compensation claim. According to her attorney, the city’s reasoning for the denial was because “the disease is considered an ordinary disease of life, and there is insufficient evidence connecting it to her employment with the city of Austin.”
Under Texas law passed in 2019, only 11 cancers are eligible for workers’ compensation:
StomachColonRectalSkinProstateTesticularBrainNon-Hodgkin’s lymphomaMultiple myelomaMalignant melanomaRenal cell carcinoma
A formal hearing was held on Thursday over LaFollette’s claim. Leaders with the firefighters’ union said they believe the science is clear that her cancer is work-related, and that they’re currently appealing the city’s ruling and hope to get a new decision within the next 10 to 30 days.
“Along with the formal process of appeal through this workers’ compensation, it is our desire, our hope and our belief that through this formal process, Suzanne will get the coverage that she deserves,” Austin Firefighters Association President David Girouard said Thursday.
Union leaders confirmed that they will be pushing for changes during the next Texas legislative session, calling on the state to expand the list of covered cancers to match federal standards, which already recognizes ovarian cancer as work-related for firefighters.
LaFollette is still going through chemotherapy. She said she hopes her case will pave the way for future female firefighters.