St. Paul, Minn. – The Minnesota workers' compensation statute would soon recognize post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) experienced by first responders as a presumptive injury under a new bill introduced by state Rep. Dan Schoen (DFL – St. Paul Park). The bill, HF 3873, accomplishes this by expanding the list of “occupational diseases” to make it abundantly clear that PTSD is such a condition caused by traumatic events that public safety officials experience in the course of their work.
“In my career I have met too many public safety officials who have had to hide their need for help because they fear the inability to feed their families if they can’t work,” Schoen said. “They are expected to deal with some of the worst situations in our communities every day, and this takes its toll. Far too often, administrators have treated them as problem employees rather than taking the time to find out what was wrong. We now know better.”
Occupations covered under the bill include firefighters, paramedics, EMTs, law enforcement, emergency care nurses, DNR forest officers and correctional officers. A Cottage Grove police officer as well as a legislator, Schoen introduced the bill because he has heard many stories of public safety personnel running into red tape and other roadblocks when attempting to receive proper care after experiencing PTSD.
“We should not still be hearing stories of law enforcement officers, fire fighters and EMS providers who are being pushed out of employment without any assistance,” he said.
Schoen noted that many public safety administrators have recently taken positive steps on this issue, and lauded the efforts of Blue Watch, a group led by Minnesota police officers, chiefs and family members to provide assistance to law enforcement personnel experiencing mental health crises, trauma, anxiety, and substance abuse, to name a few. While applauding this progress, Schoen thinks it’s time for state law to catch up with the reality first responders face.
“Simply stated, PTSD is an injury, and it is one many of our public safety officials experience every day at work,” Schoen said. “It’s time to make it clear that fighting against having to pay for the treatment needed for our public safety officers is no longer acceptable. If officers aren’t able to work as a result then we also need to hold up our end of the deal and not leave them out in the cold.”
The bill, with bipartisan co-authorship, was referred to the House Commerce and Regulatory Reform Committee where it awaits a hearing. It's companion in the Senate, SF 3508, is carried by Sen. Matt Schmit (DFL – Red Wing).
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