Jacksonville first responders welcome expanded PTSD benefits

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – First responders joined State Chief Financial Officer and Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis in Jacksonville on Thursday in a show of support for the passage of a bill that would expand workers' compensation for police and firefighters to cover those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Under Senate Bill 376, signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Rick Scott, first responders dealing with PTSD from work-related trauma will qualify for additional workers' compensation benefits, including back pay, as soon as October.

Officers and firefighters told News4Jax the measure is long overdue, citing tragedies like the Parkland school shooting, the Miami bridge collapse and the shooting of a U.S. Customs agent who was ambushed outside an Oakleaf Publix last September.

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"The part people don't see is, we carry our stuff home with us. Policemen and firemen, we carry it home," said Steve Zona, president of the Jacksonville police union. " ... This will help in our home life to make us more stable there also."

In Florida, injured workers are not eligible to receive workers' compensation benefits for mental or nervous injuries not accompanied by physical injuries. The Legislature revised that law in 2007 so first responders could claim those benefits, but that change did not cover lost wages.

The passage of SB 376 means first responders can finally start receiving the help they need.

Witnessing death and destruction on a daily basis can be traumatic. As a result, Patronis said, first responders are attempting to take their own lives at a vastly higher rate than those in other fields.

In fact, according to a 2015 article published in the Journal of Emergency Medical Services, 6.6 percent of first responders surveyed attempted suicide. That's more than 10 times the rate seen in those who work in other fields.

The bill is set to take effect Oct. 1. For officers and firefighters who have been trying to deal with PTSD on their own, that day can't come soon enough.

"We're hopeful this will encourage members across the state to get help for it," Zona said.