Tennessee Supreme Court hears dispute over ‘unexpected’ PTSD standard in Chattanooga pension denial

Knoxville, Tenn. — The Tennessee Supreme Court heard oral argument in Matthew Long v. Chattanooga Fire and Police Pension Fund on the meaning of “unexpected” in the fund’s disability policy and how much deference courts must give the fund when reviewing denials of benefits.

The case concerns whether Long, a Chattanooga firefighter who was diagnosed with post‑traumatic stress disorder, met the pension fund’s requirement that a disabling traumatic event be “unexpected” and “undesigned,” and whether the lack of written findings by the fund prevents meaningful judicial review under the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act (UAPA).

The outcome matters because the court’s interpretation will affect how pension boards and courts resolve PTSD and other disability claims for first responders across Tennessee. Counsel for both sides told justices the case raises discrete legal questions about subject‑matter jurisdiction under the UAPA, the applicable standard of review, whether courts may decide the legal issues on the existing record or must remand for written findings, and how to apply or define “unexpected.”

Bob Parsley, counsel for the appellant…