Quote of the day
“Post-traumatic stress is a real injury that you can define and recognize and treat and get people back on the job.”
Connecticut state Sen. Cathy Osten
Connecticut poised to pass PTSD coverage for first responders
Connecticut lawmakers on Monday unveiled a bipartisan proposal to provide police and firefighters suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder with up to one year of workers’ compensation coverage, and predicted it would be enacted before the 2019 session closes early next month. Critics of the current workers’ compensation system have argued it largely provides mental health benefits to emergency personnel who are the direct victims of violence, and not necessarily to those who witness it. At the same time, municipal leaders have expressed fears that it could become a huge fiscal burden on local property taxpayers. Connecticut Post
Florida: Firefighters, families celebrate cancer benefits legislation
Florida lawmakers and first responders on Tuesday celebrated long-awaited legislation that will provide firefighters diagnosed with job-related cancers with financial support for treatment and benefits to the families of firefighters who die from work-related cancer. Under the new law, 21 forms of cancer contracted in the line of duty will be covered. ClickOrlando [with video]
In rural New York, opposition to farmworkers bills
Oneida County, New York lawmakers are considering a resolution opposing state legislation that would grant farmworkers the basic labor rights long enjoyed by other public and private employees in New York. Opponents of the state legislation say agriculture needs exemptions from some labor laws because of its unique weather-dependent nature, while advocates respond that agriculture is seldom significantly different from other industries. Rome Sentinel
$75M damage award ‘meant to send message’ about driver overwork: Attorney
A jury’s award of $75 million in punitive damages against the owners of a small Texas trucking operation was intended as a warning to the industry about overworking drivers, according to the defendant’s lawyer. The case arises out of an injury accident in which a driver fell asleep at the wheel and rear-ended another truck. The lawsuit alleged the defendants did not carry workers’ compensation insurance, and that they created three companies companies as a way to shield personal assets. FreightWaves
Ontario: Workers’ comp cuts protested in rally
Concern over the planned restructuring of the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board was the focus of a small rally in downtown Windsor, Ontario this week. The province has proposed roughly USD $11.9 million in cuts to its prevention office budget, according to the Toronto Star, in order to eliminate unnecessary expenses and enable it to concentrate on more pressing and urgent claims. Blackburn News