» Bill to give PTSD benefits to first responders sent to governor,
TALLAHASSEE — Firefighters, police officers and EMTs who cannot work because of job-related post-traumatic stress disorder could qual- ify for expanded benefits under a bill heading to Gov. Rick Scott.
The House unanimously approved the measure (SB 376) Monday, two days after the Senate passed it. Scott is expected to sign the bill, spearheaded by Sen. Lauren Book, D-Plantation, and Rep. Matt Willhite, D-Wellington.
Matt Puckett, executive director of the Florida Police Benevolent Association, said the changes in the bill can go a long way toward help- ing first responders and predicted that it would even save lives.
In Florida, injured workers are prevented from receiving workers’ compensation insurance benefits — either medical benefits or lost wages — for mental or nervous injuries not accom- panied by physical injuries.
The law was changed in 2007, though, to allow first responders to obtain medical benefits for post-trau- matic stress disorder with- out having accompanying physical injuries. However, they still are precluded from obtaining lost wages for post-traumatic stress disorder.
The bill would change that if police officers, firefighters, emergency-medical technicians and paramedics meet certain criteria.
Fir s t responders who have witnessed the death of a minor or witnessed a death that involved “griev- ous bodily harm of a nature that shocks the conscience” could file workers’ compen- sation claims for lost wages. The first responders would be required to show by clear and convincing evidence that the events were the source of the PTSD.
The bill also would require cities, counties and other entities that employ first responders to provide edu- cational training related to mental health awareness, prevention, mitigation and treatment.
The Florida League of Cities initially opposed the legislation, contending it was too broadly written and could increase insurance costs for cities that employ police and firefighters. Following the league’s lead, Boynton Beach also initially took a stance against the bill, but later changed that posi- tion after Commissioner Joe Casello — a former firefighter in Massachusetts for 30 years — pushed back.
“I’ve lived it. I’ve been there. I’ve done it,” Casello said. “To this day, I can’t listen to bag pipes without bursting into tears because of all funerals I went to.”
The League of Cities subsequently also dropped its opposition to the bill, point- ing last week to an amend- ment that eased its concerns. PTSD is a psychiatric disorder that can occur in peo- ple who have experienced or witnessed traumatic events. Symptoms generally begin within the first three months after the trauma, although there may be delays of months or even years before the criteria for the diagnosis are met, according to a staff analysis of the bill. Before the House voted to pass the bill Monday, Rep. Erin Grall shared a suicide letter written by an Indian River County fire-rescue chief and posted on Facebook. “Twenty-seven years of deaths and babies dying in your hands is a memory that you will never get rid of. It haunted me daily until now. My love to my crews, be safe, take care. I love you all,” Grall read through tears. noting that the chief was her husband’s cousin and brother-like figure. “Until something like this happens so close, you don’t realize the deficiencies in the system,” Grall said, dis- cussing how first responders can be impaired by the work they do. A 2015 survey of 4,000 first responders found that 6.6 percent had attempted suicide, which is more than 10 times the rate in the general population.