Bill > S2373

This bill, known as the "New Jersey First Responders Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Protection Act," provides employment protections for paid first responders, defined as law enforcement officers, paid firefighters, paid members of first aid or rescue squads, paid emergency medical technicians, paid paramedics, or paid 9-1-1 dispatchers, who are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) under specific conditions. The act prohibits employers, defined as public entities employing paid first responders, from firing, harassing, or discriminating against an employee due to taking or requesting leave for 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, who is broadly defined as a licensed professional in various mental health fields. A PTSD diagnosis is considered qualified if it's memorialized in a Workers' Compensation Division order or if a mental health professional diagnoses it as arising from experiencing, witnessing, or vicariously experiencing a traumatic event during the scope of their duties. Employees can file an action in the Division of Workers' Compensation for violations, with remedies including civil fines, injunctions, reinstatement, lost wages, and attorney fees, and such actions must be commenced within one year of the alleged violation.

Budget and Finance, Justice

https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2024/S2373