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House committee gives do-pass to bill creating workers’ compensation presumption for police injuries
Summary
A House committee recommended passage of House Bill 132 as amended, which would create presumptions in the state workers’ compensation law that certain conditions affecting police officers — including sensorineural hearing loss, PTSD and heart injuries occurring within 24 hours of a call or training — are work-related; the amendment conditions some presumptions on employer training and medical-screening requirements.
The committee of the House of Representatives voted to give House Bill 132 a "do pass" recommendation after testimony from the bill sponsor, law-enforcement groups and workers' compensation officials.
The sponsor (identified only as a representative in the transcript) said HB132 would create a presumption in New Mexico workers' compensation law that certain conditions suffered by police officers are job-related, easing access to benefits while preserving employers’ ability to rebut claims. "This bill corrects this by creating a presumption within the workers' compensation act that certain occupational conditions suffered by police officers are work related," the sponsor said.
Why it matters: supporters said the change would speed care and reduce disputes over causation for conditions they said are prevalent among officers, including cumulative trauma that can cause post-traumatic stress disorder and long-term hearing damage from repeated exposure to loud sounds.
Supporters at the hearing included Chris Bolzano of the Albuquerque Police Officers Association, who told the committee PTSD "is not always the result of a single…
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