Florida Offers Extra Help To First Responders Suffering From PTSD

If you've ever been injured in the workplace (or dealt with someone who has), you're likely already aware that workers' compensation insurance is designed to cover certain expenses and costs incurred by anyone who has sustained a work-related injury. However, not all injuries are visible or immediately apparent, and a substantial subset of emergency workers and first responders can find themselves battling symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after a few years on the job.

Until recently, these types of emotional injuries were not considered compensable under Florida state law, leaving many first responders in the lurch. A recent law has changed this, and it promises to provide first responders with some added coverage. Read on to learn more about the changes coming to the Sunshine State's workers' compensation laws beginning October 1, 2018.

What Changes are Coming?

This legislative change was spurred by one sobering statistic: first responders, whose jobs can be incredibly physically risky, are more likely to die from suicide than in the line of duty. This suicide risk is often generated by PTSD, which can occur as a result of a single traumatic event or the cumulative effect of responding to multiple auto accidents, drug overdoses, and other sad and tragic events in the course of their employment.

But until now, first responders who suffered with a PTSD diagnosis were relatively unprotected in the workplace. Many were unable to seek "desk duty" that might provide them with a much-needed mental break from the stresses of their jobs, while others found themselves facing a choice between their sanity and a paycheck.

By enacting a law that would include PTSD and related diagnoses in the list of compensable workplace injuries for first responders, the Florida legislature has affirmed its commitment to the health and safety of its police, EMTs, firefighters, and other public safety officials who are often on the front lines of violent, bloody, and tragic events.   

What May This Mean for Other States?

Although Florida's new law marks a relatively unusual step in workers' compensation legislation, the incidence of PTSD among first responders is a problem throughout the country. The future may depend on the number of claims that arise from this new law, how they're handled, and how they impact Florida's budget. Other states may soon follow Florida's lead in taking steps to protect their first responders and ensure that those who are working in PTSD-prone positions are able to seek and obtain benefits through worker's compensation attorney services when this condition prevents them from performing their jobs.