Workers Comp Now Covers PTSD Claims In Connecticut

On June 12 the Governor of Connecticut signed a law that makes post-traumatic stress “injuries” presumptively compensable for workers who experience a qualifying event. A claimant must be diagnosed by a mental health professional. The stress disorder must be a direct result of an event that occurs in their course of employment to qualify. A few states including California already accept workers comp claims for an experience at work such as witnessing violence, without a physical injury component. Connecticut’s law differs in that it presumes suffering due to the experience, without the worker having to prove that the incident caused the suffering. A psychologist with Axiom Medical Consulting Inc., which provides comp services, sees the presumption of trauma based on exposure alone as an issue. He says that only a small percentage of people would be diagnosed with PTSD following a traumatic event.