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Committee hears push to ease PTSD accidental-disability filing rules for Massachusetts public safety workers
Summary
Witnesses told the Joint Committee on Public Service that Chapter 32, Section 7’s accidental-disability rules do not match how PTSD presents and urged changes to allow incident reports and extend filing windows for public safety employees seeking benefits.
The Joint Committee on Public Service heard testimony calling for changes to Massachusetts’ accidental-disability application rules so that police officers, firefighters and other public safety workers with post-traumatic stress disorder can more easily apply for benefits.
Supporters told the committee that current requirements in Chapter 32, Section 7 of Massachusetts law—including a two-year application window and a rule that an injury report must be filed within 90 days or an injury recorded in official department files—do not reflect how PTSD and other psychological conditions emerge after traumatic events.
"As such, we are in full support of any legislation that says, when it comes to PTSD protection and a presumption,…
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