Proposal would help Wisconsin first responders receive PTSD treatment through workers’ comp
Legislation in Wisconsin seeks to make it easier for police and first responders to obtain workers’ compensation for post-traumatic stress disorder. Current law requires police and first responders with a mental health condition but no accompanying physical injury to show their diagnosis was based on unusual stress or strain greater than that experienced by other employees. Wisconsin Radio Network
Workers’ comp in play in South Carolina
If passed, a South Carolina House bill would allow a first responder, healthcare provider or correctional officer who contracts COVID-19 to receive workers’ compensation, and also would provide temporary total disability benefits if the employee is required to isolate due to the virus. WBTW
New Jersey employee’s fall at volunteer event covered by workers’ comp
A unanimous New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that a cook who volunteered to prepare meals at an event sponsored by her nonprofit employer, and who suffered a disabling injury at the event, qualifies for workers’ compensation. Law.com/New Jersey Law Journal [may require registration]
South Carolina workers’ comp director ousted over husband’s deal
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster on Monday removed the head of the State Accident Fund, calling for an investigation into whether she improperly steered a $600,000 government contract to her husband’s company. Amy Cofield had led the workers’ compensation agency since 2019. “These procurement actions raise significant ethical and legal questions about the conduct of employees at the State Accident Fund,” McMaster said in a statement. News & Observer
Nebraska capital weighs change to workers’ comp death benefits for first responders
A Lincoln, Nebraska police investigator paid into the city police pension for 24 years, but following his death during an attempted arrest, his family has not been able to draw his full pension. Because he died in the line of duty, his workers’ compensation offset a majority of his pension as the result of a current city ordinance. Lincoln Journal Star