CalMatters: Comp a 'Nightmare' for Firefighters With PTSD

Thursday, June 27, 2024 | 2

California’s workers’ compensation system is failing firefighters who have post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a pair of news reports by nonprofit CalMatters.

No one tracks how many state firefighters suffer from mental health problems, but leaders at the Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention, also known as Cal Fire, said PTSD and suicidal ideations are a “silent epidemic” throughout the agency, according to the report.

And while California law presumes that PTSD arose out of employment for firefighters, the workers’ compensation system “can be a nightmare for firefighters and other first responders,” according to the report.

Despite the presumption, which requires employers to prove that firefighters didn’t develop PTSD through the course of employment, firefighters continue to struggle to prove mental health claims, CalMatters reports. Because the presumption is rebuttable and not conclusive, claims administrators can consider whether other traumatic events play a role in PTSD claims, according to the report.

The publication also said therapists are reluctant to treat work comp patients because of delays in getting paid.

The reports are here and here.