Bill > A2145

This bill, known as the "New Jersey First Responders Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Protection Act," provides employment protections for paid first responders diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) under specific conditions. It defines "first responder" broadly to include law enforcement officers, paid firefighters, paid members of emergency squads, paid emergency medical technicians, paid paramedics, and paid 9-1-1 dispatchers. The bill prohibits employers, defined as public entities employing paid first responders, from firing, harassing, or retaliating against an employee for taking or requesting leave related to a qualifying PTSD diagnosis. Upon returning from leave, the employer must reinstate the employee to their previous position, provided their fitness to return is documented by a mental health professional. A PTSD diagnosis is considered qualified if it's memorialized in a Workers' Compensation Division order or if a mental health professional diagnoses it and determines it arose from experiencing, witnessing, or vicariously experiencing a traumatic event during the scope of their duties. Employees can file a civil action in the Division of Workers' Compensation for violations, with remedies including civil fines, injunctions, reinstatement, restoration of benefits, compensation for lost wages, and attorney's fees, and any action must be brought within one year of the alleged violation. The bill also amends existing law to broaden the definition of "mental health professional" to include a wider range of licensed professionals and clarifies the definition of "critical incident" for first responders.

Budget and Finance, Labor and Employment, Military Affairs and Security

https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2024/A2145