Lawmakers double down on PTSD benefits for all workers

Lawmakers in Connecticut will consider a second bill that would amend the state’s workers compensation law permitting post-traumatic stress disorder as a compensable injury to all workers who witness certain adverse events.

S.B. 491, filed Wednesday, follows S.B. 91, which was filed Jan. 12. Both bills would amend the state’s law on benefits for police officers, parole officers or firefighters suffering post-traumatic stress disorder after a “qualifying event,” which includes witnessing death and grave injuries, to include “all employees covered by workers compensation law.”

The new bill was referred to Committee on Labor and Public Employees.

This is the second year Connecticut lawmakers are considering such legislation. The 2022 bill unanimously passed the Senate but failed to gain traction in the House despite a “favorable report,” according to the state’s legislature website.