Lawmakers Consider First-Responder Presumption Bills

Lawmakers in South Carolina are considering changes to workers' compensation law that would permit first responders to collect benefits for mental injuries and alter eligibility requirements for benefits for strokes and heart attacks. HB 3261, introduced Thursday and referred to the House Committee on Labor, Commerce and Industry, would set requirements for a first responder to file a claim for a “stress or mental injury unaccompanied by a physical injury.” Law enforcement officers, firefighters and their volunteer counterparts would be eligible, according to the bi...