Bill > H2909

This bill amends Massachusetts law to establish a presumption of line-of-duty disability or death benefits for certain public service workers who develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Specifically, the bill covers full-time uniformed members of police, fire, emergency medical, and transportation departments, correctional employees who work directly with prisoners, airport crash crew members, and certain firefighters at military installations. If these workers are diagnosed with PTSD by a qualified mental health professional and had a clean physical examination upon entering service, their condition will be presumed to be service-related, unless evidence proves the PTSD was caused by non-service factors. To qualify, the PTSD must be diagnosed within 5 years of the worker's last active service, and benefits would be retroactive to the date of last regular compensation. The bill explicitly states that PTSD will not be considered service-related if it results from legitimate personnel actions like job transfers, evaluations, or terminations. The legislation defines PTSD using the American Psychiatric Association's diagnostic criteria and broadly defines mental health professionals who can make such diagnoses, including physicians, psychologists, psychiatrists, and various specialized mental health counselors.

Budget and Finance, Labor and Employment

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H2909