If you’re a first responder or have a loved one who is, you know that the stress and trauma of the job can be overwhelming and even paralyzing. Increasingly, lawmakers across the country are requiring state workers’ compensation boards to cover serious mental health conditions for firefighters, police and other first responders caused by work duties.
This spring, Oklahoma took an important step forward in doing the same. Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a law, which takes effect next year, that allows first responders to get workers’ comp benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) suffered due to their jobs. This applies to both professional and volunteer firefighters, law enforcement officers and emergency medical technicians (EMTs).
The head of the Oklahoma Fraternal Order of Police says that his organization has been working on getting this workers’ comp coverage for law enforcement officers and other first responders for years. He says, “Law enforcement’s just been taught you go out here, you deal with the job, all the horrific things that come from it.”
Some specifics about the law
He says that the new law will allow those who have been diagnosed with work-related PTSD to get “counseling or some type of medicine and hopefully get them back on the job, able to continue their career.”
The law specifies that a first responder can receive benefits for treatment and time away from the job for up to a year for the condition. If they’re permanently disabled by their PTSD, however, they may be eligible for up to $50,000 in benefits.
As noted, the new law doesn’t take effect until next year. In the meantime, it’s critical for all first responders to know their current rights to workers’ comp benefits and to get the benefits to which they’re entitled. If you have questions or concerns about a worker’s comp application or have been denied benefits, it can help to have legal guidance.