IL HB5083

Expands the Public Employee Disability Act to include full-time mental health professionals employed and dispatched by local governments to respond to crisis calls on public emergency service lines instead of or in conjunction with law enforcement.

Expands the Line of Duty Compensation Act to include mental health professionals in the definition of covered workers eligible for duty death benefits and establishes a burial benefit of up to $20,000 for mental health professionals killed in the line of duty after June 30, 2018.

Extends disability benefit coverage under the Public Employee Disability Act to mental health professionals for line-of-duty illnesses declared as disasters or emergencies by state, county, or municipal officials, with benefits paid for up to one year without deduction from sick leave or vacation.

Clarifies that mental health professionals qualify for compensation and benefits on the same basis as law enforcement officers and firefighters when injured or killed in the line of duty.

Amends the Public Safety Employee Benefits Act to include mental health professionals in benefit coverage provisions.