Proposal for Benefits for First Responders Suffering PTSD Revived

Tuesday, January 12, 2016 | 0

First responders suffering from job related post-traumatic stress disorder can apply for workers compensation benefits under a revived bill introduced to the South Carolina General Assembly.

S 429, a bipartisan Senate bill, proposed, when first introduced last year, that police officers, firefighters and other emergency workers could apply for benefits for stress, mental injury or mental illness stemming from direct involvement in a traumatic on the job experience.

But a fiscal estimate suggested that could cost cities and counties anywhere between $1.9 million and $5.4 million a year in extra premiums and other costs. The Senate Committee on the Judiciary amended the bill to narrow its scope to first responders medically diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The push to expand benefits to cover PTSD was, in part, driven by Deputy Sheriff Michael Ackerman, who was injured in a shooting in which his partner was killed by a suspect. Ackerman was shot in the right leg before he himself shot and killed the suspect in the Sept. 8, 2014 incident.

"Besides the physical injuries I have been dealing with some very severe emotional injuries," Ackerman said in an interview with EMS1, a news and information service for paramedics and emergency medical technicians.

He added: "In October 2014 I was in a very dark place mentally and emotionally. It was at that point that I realized I needed specialized help.

"I found out that workers’ comp case managers were not educated in how to get mental health appointments approved because requests were so infrequent."

Ackerman contacted a number of people, including the governor's office, and was told that what he needed was a change in the law. He found a supporter in Sen. Paul Thurmond, who championed the legislation.