Missouri lawmakers again introduce PTSD legislation

Following four years of efforts to make post-traumatic stress disorder compensable on presumption for first responders, Missouri lawmakers are set to consider another bill that would classify the condition as an occupational illness.

H.B. 164, filed Thursday, would add PTSD for first responders to the list of accepted occupational illnesses under state workers compensation law.

State lawmakers considered similar bills in 2019, 2020, 2021 and earlier this year. Each failed to gain traction, although at least one effort was successful in highlighting mental health struggles among first responders.

In 2021, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signed S.B. 57 and H.B. 8, which require that law-enforcement officers go through a mental health check-in every three to five years and authorize mental health services and training for officers.