State Considers Adding Off-Duty Work to PTSD Law

Rhode Island lawmakers are considering amendments to the state’s post-traumatic stress disorder presumption for first responders to include those performing work off-duty. SB 2059, introduced Friday and sent to the Finance Committee, says events that occur “involving the protection or the rescue of human life while off-duty” would qualify as work when applying the state’s PTSD presumption. The bill also states that benefits would not be extended to police officers or firefighters if their “post-traumatic stress injury diagnosis arises out of any disciplinar...