New Law Will Help First Responders with PTSD
by Lauren Orr
(Original article by Sarah Danik for Fox 9)
A new Minnesota law that will help first responders get workers compensation for PTSD will go into effect in 2019.
Previously, workers compensation was denied for a PTSD diagnosis, because there was no physical injury. This new change in the law states that it will be presumed that any first responder who is diagnosed with PTSD has it because of their job.
Brian Cristofono, a firefighter in Minnesota who was diagnosed with PTSD after a experiencing many traumas while on the job thinks that this new law is a “step in the right direction.”
“We get called to see the worst of the worst,” Cristofono said. “That’s our job. Society needs us to do that. They need someone to go and answer those calls, but we’re also human beings and it affects you and scars you and some of those calls don’t go away.”
Do you think that similar laws should be adopted by more states? We would love to hear your thoughts.
