Legislator Will Continue Fight for PTSD Coverage in Workers' Comp

Tuesday, August 30, 2016 | 0

A South Carolina representative said he will resume a retiring senator’s fight to get post-traumatic stress disorder covered under workers’ compensation for first responders.

State Rep. Tommy Pope

After similar legislation passed the House in 2014, Sen. Paul Thurmond, R-Charleston, introduced a companion bill in 2015, but it died in committee.

“I think the scenario of what’s going on throughout the country is very concerning and troubling for those who put their lives on the line to protect us,” Thurmond told the Rock Hill Herald. “People are getting out of law enforcement because they’re scared. They don’t want to be gunned down.”

Thurmond is not seeking re-election in November and told the newspaper he hopes Rep. Tommy Pope, R-York, will continue his fight.

“PTSD is a real thing,” Pope told the Herald. “We recognize it with soldiers, why do we think that it can’t happen to officers?”