Bill > SB606

This bill amends Oregon's occupational disease law to expand workers' compensation coverage for mental health conditions, specifically adding two new categories of full-time healthcare workers who can now receive presumptive coverage for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and acute stress disorder. The bill adds full-time employees of the Oregon State Hospital who have direct patient contact and full-time employees of the Department of Human Services working at the Stabilization and Crisis Unit to the existing list of covered employees who can more easily qualify for workers' compensation benefits related to mental health conditions. Under the new provisions, these workers can receive presumptive compensation for PTSD or acute stress disorder if they can demonstrate through medical evidence that they meet the diagnostic criteria in the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), with the burden of proof shifting to the employer to prove that workplace trauma was not a significant contributing factor to the mental health condition. This change recognizes the potentially traumatic nature of healthcare work, particularly in settings involving intense patient interactions, and provides additional support for workers who may develop mental health conditions as a result of their professional experiences.

Budget and Finance, Business and Industry

https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025R1/Measures/Overview/SB606