On May 6, 2021, the North Carolina House of Representatives passed HB 492, entitled “WC/Psych. Trauma-Related Injuries” to presume diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder–or PTSD–in first responders are related to workplace exposures and experiences for purposes of getting workers’ compensation benefits. Although North Carolina law currently allows for such coverage, the House Bill would relieve first responders–including law enforcement officers, firefighters (including volunteer firemen), 911 dispatchers, emergency medical technicians, and paramedics–of the burden of proving their jobs place them at an increased risk of development PTSD, which is well established by statistical evidence and in the medical literature researching this relationship.
You can access a copy of the final version of HB492 by clicking this link: https://www.ncleg.gov/ Sessions/2021/Bills /House/PDF /H492v2.pdf.