Julie Kushner

SEN. KUSHNER HAILS BIPARTISAN LABOR COMMITTEE PASSAGE OF PTSD WORKERS’ COMP COVERAGE FOR ALL EMPLOYEES

HARTFORD – State Senator Julie Kushner (D-Danbury) today welcomed the bipartisan passage in the Labor and Public Employees Committee of a bill designed to extend worker’s compensation PTSD coverage not just to police, firefighters, and other first responders who may witness traumatic events, but to any worker in any job who may witness similar, traumatizing events.

Today’s announcement marks the second of four successive days of public policy statements from Senate Democrats on a wide variety of issues confronting Connecticut and its residents: improving personal safety, strengthening education and Connecticut’s workforce, improving mental and physical health, and lowering costs for consumers.

The Labor Committee today endorsed Senate Bill 913, “AN ACT EXPANDING WORKERS’ COMPENSATION COVERAGE FOR POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS INJURIES FOR ALL EMPLOYEES,” which would provide worker’s compensation benefits for any worker who witnesses a variety of traumatic events while on the job, such as witnessing the death or dismemberment of a person. The bill specifically mentions the trauma experienced by Connecticut health care workers who have seen more than 12,000 state residents die of COVID-19 over the past three years.

The bill now heads to the full Senate for further consideration.

“I believe the bipartisan work we have done in previous years to extend workers’ comp benefits to police, firefighters and others has really informed our conversations on extending workers’ comp for any employee who witnesses some life-changing tragedy on the job. There’s a new realization of just how traumatic some non-emergency work can be,” Sen. Kushner said. “Some of the past concerns about increased municipal costs have not been borne out, and I believe we’ll see the same when and if we extend these rights to all employees. I’m cautiously optimistic of passage this year.”

The 2023 session of the Connecticut General Assembly concludes at midnight on Wednesday, June 8, 2023.