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WHEREAS, Post-Traumatic Stress Injury (PTSI) consists of the same set of symptoms as post-traumatic stress disorder characterized by exposure to a traumatic event as identified by the American Psychiatric Association and documented in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition; and,
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WHEREAS, a 2023 study published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Office of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) titled "An analysis of suicides among first responders - Findings from the National Violent Death Reporting System, 2015-2017" found that first responders, including law enforcement officers (LEOs), firefighters, emergency medical services (EMS) clinicians, and public safety telecommunicators, face unique occupational stressors and may be at elevated risk for suicide; and,
WHEREAS, that same study found the following: first responders accounted for 1% of all suicides from 2015-2017 and when compared to the general public some common risk factors for suicide such as history of suicidal thoughts, previous suicide attempt, alcohol/substance abuse problem were significantly lower among first responders; and,
WHEREAS, Pennsylvania House Bill No. 1632 of 2023 (H.B. 1632) would amend the Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Law to allow for post-traumatic stress injury as the result of a "qualifying traumatic event" to be a compensable injury for first responders; and,
WHEREAS, as the law currently stands, the stipulation that one must suffer a trauma-inducing experience under an "abnormal working condition" to claim workers' compensation benefits creates a substantial hurdle that prevents countless first responders from receiving necessary and appropriate psychiatric care because their service requires frequent exposure to such trauma-inducing experiences; and,
WHEREAS, H.B. 1632 would eliminate a situation in which first responders are forced to choose between seeking quality tre...
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