Senate committee hears testimony for and against bill to add PTSD to North Dakota workers’ compensation

BISMARCK — Supporters of Senate Bill 2181 told the North Dakota Senate Industry and Business Committee on Tuesday that allowing Workforce Safety and Insurance (WSI) to cover post-traumatic stress disorder would help first responders and other workers harmed by repeated traumatic events. Opponents — including WSI and business trade groups — warned the measure is unclearly written, would likely raise premiums and reserves, and could overwhelm the state’s capacity to deliver timely mental-health care.

Senator Dean Rummel, R‑37, sponsor of SB 2181, opened the hearing with his reasons for introducing the bill, citing his 37 years in manufacturing and decades of volunteer firefighting and rescue work. “Post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD is real,” Rummel said, and he urged the committee to move forward so WSI “can implement PTSD coverage this year.” The bill would, as presented, limit disability benefits to 32 weeks per claim, cap lifetime claims to two per employee, require diagnosis by a licensed psychiatrist or psychologist and include a sunset provision that would expire the coverage after a specified trial period.

Why it matters: Witnesses described repeated traumatic exposures faced by police, firefighters, paramedics and rescue workers and linked untreated PTSD to suicide, family breakdown and career loss. Dr. Gordy Leingang, a Bismarck emergency-trauma physician who has worked with law enforcement and military wounded warriors, told the panel that officers “expose themselves to COVID,…