In recent years, a number of states have improved access to workers’ compensation benefits for post-traumatic stress and other mental health disorders for first responders. Police, firefighters, emergency medical services (EMS) professionals and others can encounter violence, death and other potentially traumatizing events on a daily basis, so it seems only fair that they can get this coverage.
Yet, people in other lines of work can also be exposed to traumatic events – from workplace violence to armed robbery to a co-worker’s death or catastrophic injury on the job. That’s why Connecticut law allows workers’ comp benefits for post-traumatic stress injuries (PTSI) if they’re suffered as a direct result of a workplace event, even if a person with PTSI hasn’t been physically injured themselves.
What may come to mind immediately is the increase in mass shootings at workplaces (including schools) in recent decades. Those who survived can be highly traumatized by what they witnessed or even heard. And more common, and maybe less obvious, are catastrophic injuries suffered by those in construction, manufacturing and other industries. Just witnessing a co-worker suffer a limb loss, crush injury, severe burns or a fall from a height can leave some people with PTSI.
What are considered qualifying events under the law?
Among the events that can make a person eligible for workers’ compensation if they suffer PTSI are:
- Witnessing an “incident involving someone’s death”
- Witnessing someone being injured “who then dies before or upon admission to a hospital,” including having physical contact with that person (such as carrying or attending to them)
- Witnessing an injury that “results in the loss of a vital body part or a vital body function that permanently disfigures the victim”
To qualify for workers’ comp benefits in these cases, an injurious event must have been a “substantial factor in causing the injury” and the PTSI at issue must be diagnosed by a mental health professional.
Psychological injuries are notoriously harder to prove than physical ones for purposes of getting any kind of benefits – including workers’ compensation. While this law, which has only been in effect since the start of 2024, can make things easier on workers, they can still face challenges from workers’ comp insurers and employers. Having experienced legal guidance can help those affected build a solid claim and prevent delays when seeking needed benefits.