Montana PTSD Cover for First Responders Vetoed

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte has vetoed a bill that would have allowed first responders to get workers’ compensation for post-traumatic stress disorder.
In his veto letter, Gianforte said it would have added $100,000 annually to state insurance premiums, which was also reflected in the bill’s fiscal note.
“Senate Bill 394 threatens the progress we’ve made over the past four years to protect hardworking Montanans’ tax dollars and decrease worker compensation coverage by reducing the number of wage-loss and medical-only claims filed,” the veto letter read.
Montana is one of a handful of states that do not have PTSD as part of its worker compensation legislation, bill sponsor Sen. Cora Neumann said in April amid contentious debate on the measure.
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The workers compensation claims appeals process followed by Washington State reverses decisions about a third of the time, leaving some workers coping with worsening injuries, financial instability or mental health issues, according to a Cascade PBS investigation.
Washington workers filed more than 111,500 worker compensation claims last year, most of which were approved and continued without any disagreement, according to the state’s Labor & Industry agency.
In more than 40% of appeals, either L&I voluntarily agreed to reconsider its decisions or the board reversed L&I’s decision, an analysis by Cascade PBS of data from the past five years found.
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The Charlotte, North Carolina Fraternal Order of Police is raising concerns about how injured officers are treated after getting hurt on the job, Spectrum News reported.
The group says it has heard from officers injured in the line of duty who had recommended surgeries or treatments initially denied.
“We have also heard while our heroes are out of work from an injury they suffered on the job, that that time does not count toward credible time for retirement. They are also paid a reduced salary,” the police group stated on social media.
The police group said it will continue pushing for legislative changes to protect first responders injured in the line of duty.
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The EPA plans to review the Biden administration rule that would lead to a ban on most remaining uses of asbestos, the agency said Monday in a court filing.
The Trump administration asked the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to order a 30-month pause on the rule — until 2027 — to review challenges by the chemical industry, E&E News reported.
Federal appellate judges said in February they would hold off on any proceedings related to the ban and granted the administration a 120-day pause on cases related to chrysotile asbestos and methylene chloride risk management rules.
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