Idaho Senate votes to remove sunset provision from PTSD law

The Idaho Senate unanimously voted to remove a sunset provision from the post-traumatic stress disorder law it passed last February.

In S.B. 1263, the Senate on Tuesday voted 35-0 to remove the provision that would have made the law null and void after July 1, 2023.

The state’s PTSD law, signed into law in March 2019, added mental health coverage under workers compensation for first responders diagnosed with PTSD if they proved that the mental injury was related to an event experience on the job.

The bill does require that first responders be “examined and subsequently diagnosed with post-traumatic stress injury by a psychologist” or similar medical professional, and provide “clear and convincing evidence” that indicates that the PTSD was caused by “an event or events arising out of and in the course of the first responder's employment” for the event to be compensable.