KSHB 41 reporter Fernanda Silva covers stories in the Northland. She also focuses on issues surrounding immigration. Share your story idea with Fernanda.
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Lisa Sanneman lost her husband, Steve, to pancreatic cancer in 2024. Despite the city of Liberty recognizing his death as a line-of-duty death, navigating insurance claims has been complicated.
She said she has had to pay her husband's medical bills herself.
“Being a widow has, at times, been the loneliest experience I have ever had,” Lisa said. “I miss my husband. I miss his smile, and I miss his laugh.”
Almost two years after Steve’s death, Lisa is still navigating waves of emotion. Her grief has led to frustration.
“It wasn’t long after the bills started arriving that I thought, ‘Why are these coming here? This was work comp. This was work-related,’” Lisa said.
She said Steve’s pancreatic cancer qualifies as an occupational cancer, so she is navigating the complicated process of a workers’ compensation claim.
Lisa brought her concerns to last week’s Liberty City Council meeting, where officials briefly addressed the matter.
“It wasn’t the city of Liberty,” a city official said. “It’s a third-party thing. It’s a state thing. We tried to make the best-case scenario for the firefighter.”
I reached out to the city.
City officials said they have submitted a workers’ compensation claim to their carrier, Missouri Employers Mutual (MEM).
“At this time, the claim remains under investigation by MEM, pending review of the information provided to date,” the city stated.
Before addressing specific questions, city officials provided the following statement in full:
"We recognize the profound loss experienced by Mrs. Sanneman following the passing of her husband, Firefighter/Paramedic Steve Sanneman. The City and the Liberty Fire Department have consistently recognized Mr. Sanneman's death as a Line of Duty Death, based on the belief that his pancreatic cancer was the result of cumulative exposure to carcinogens over the course of his career. Mr. Sanneman was afforded all the honors and recognitions available through the Liberty Fire Department for a Line of Duty Death.
"The City does not make a determination for workers comps claims, but has been supportive of the claim submitted for Mr. Sanneman. Those determinations are based on State law. We are unaware as to whether there has been a final determination by the State or workers comp as to whether or not his cancer was related to his work as a firefighter. We are hopeful that the State legislature will follow the example of the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act and include pancreatic cancer as an 'exposure-related cancer' for firefighters."
Lisa wants to honor her husband's sacrifice while continuing to cope with his loss.
“It’s very difficult to grieve,” she said. “It’s disheartening.”
According to city officials, the claim remains under investigation and is pending review.
Lisa’s lawyer says if they succeed in proving the case is compensable, the widow would receive lifetime death benefits.
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