Governor Signs PTSD Bill for First Responders

Thursday, March 29, 2018 | 0

Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday signed into law a measure that extends workers' compensation to first responders who've been traumatized by what they've experienced on the job.

Gov. Rick Scott

The governor signed the bill one day after Washington state's governor signed a similar bill. Two other states have passed such legislation, which allows law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency medical workers to claim post-traumatic stress disorder as a compensable condition.

"If we expect people to take care of us, then we should be doing the same thing for them," Scott said before signing the bill, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

The widow of a firefighter who committed suicide after suffering from PTSD, along with Florida's chief financial officer, lobbied extensively for the passage of Senate Bill 376. 

The signing comes six weeks after a shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school claimed 17 lives, and some Florida teachers' groups have said that next year's Legislature should also consider allowing school employees to receive workers' compensation benefits for PTSD.

"Yes. After Parkland, there has been talk about extending PTSD for teachers," said Rich Templin, legislative director of the Florida AFL-CIO.

"It has been bounced around. The question has definitely been raised," said Sharon Nesvig, communications director for the Florida Education Association.