Mississippi lawmakers on Wednesday filed legislation that would give options for first responders with mental injuries other than pursuing workers compensation benefits.
House Bill 236, dubbed the Helping Heroes Act, would allow firefighters, police officers and emergency medical services personnel with a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder arising from a workplace incident to receive reimbursements for paid mental health services and to take up to 30 days of paid leave time instead of filing for workers comp.
Reimbursement costs and paid leave time would be capped at $7,500 annually.
PTSD arising from a “legitimate personnel action,” including a promotion, demotion or termination, would not be compensable under the bill.
Under the bill, the state’s Department of Revenue would have to set aside $200,000 each year from collected insurance premium tax revenue to be placed into a special fund to cover the first responders.