First responders may get benefit for PTSD

First responders may get benefit
The Casper Star Tribune - Casper,WY,USA
By DUSTIN BLEIZEFFER
Star-Tribune energy reporter
Saturday, January 24, 2009 2:05 AM MST


After several months of hand-wringing about the possibility of misuse, several state lawmakers have warmed to an amendment that would limit an expansion of state workers' compensation coverage of mental "injuries" to emergency first responders.

Sen. John Hastert, D-Green River, is sponsor of Senate File 18, the "mental-injury, workers' compensation" bill. Hastert said to alleviate concerns of misuse, he is proposing an amendment narrowing the extended coverage to only first responders who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

It would not change existing law, which covers mental injuries that are direct results of work-related physical injuries.

"There were a lot of concerns about opening the 'mental-mental' (coverage) too broadly, so we're going to focus it," Hastert said. "It's a first step, a small step in expanding coverage. And post-traumatic stress disorder is absolutely diagnosable."

Hastert said Gov. Dave Freudenthal's office and leaders of the Labor, Health and Social Services Committee seem to be on board with the amendment. Currently, coverage of a workplace mental injury under the Wyoming Worker Safety and Compensation Division is only compensable if it is the direct result of a physical injury.

That leaves Wyoming's law enforcement, firefighters and other first responders uncovered should they suffer from PTSD. Hastert and others have said that during the past year and a half, the division has turned away at least six first responders suffering from PTSD.
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