PTSD legislation advances, calls for mental health training
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The Virginia House on Tuesday passed a workers compensation bill that would provide benefits and mental health services to first responders who witness tragedies, following the state Senate’s passage of its own bill Monday.
Both H.B. 438 and S.B. 561 would provide comp benefits to first responders who witness a “qualifying event,” including death, mass casualty events and anything “involving an immediate threat to the life of the claimant or another individual,” after July 1, 2020.
Both bills call for employers of law enforcement officers or firefighters to adopt policies for peer support and mental health care and for training facilities to provide “resilience and self-care” training techniques in 2020.
