HB 2501 Summary

• Establishes a presumption that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a compensable occupational disease for first responders (peace officers, firefighters, and rescue/ambulance workers) if they receive licensed counseling and the mental health professional determines the PTSD resulted from job duties.

• Expands section 38-672 traumatic event counseling program to require employers pay for up to 12 initial counseling visits for public safety employees exposed to traumatic events, plus up to 36 additional visits if a licensed mental health professional determines they are needed.

• Prohibits employers from subjecting counseling recipients to independent medical examinations or requiring use of accrued leave while receiving treatment, and requires continued pay and benefits if the mental health professional determines the employee is unfit to return to work.

• Allows first responders receiving active treatment under section 38-672 an extended filing deadline of one year after their last licensed counseling visit to file a workers' compensation claim for PTSD.

• The PTSD presumption may be rebutted by evidence showing a specific non-service-connected cause of the disorder; repeals a prior 2016 law provision related to counseling presumptions.