WEST PALM BEACH, FL – Workers’ Compensation Attorney Lyle B. Masnikoff applauds the passage of Florida HB 689 titled “Workers’ Compensation Benefits for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder” (Bill). The Bill was unanimously passed by the Florida House and Senate in March and approved by Governor DeSantis on May 26, 2022. The Bill became effective on July 1, 2022.
The Bill extends the deadline for filing workers’ compensation insurance claims for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for law enforcement officers, firefighters, and other first responders. The deadline for filing the notice of injury is now 90 days after a qualifying event or a “diagnosis” of PTSD, whichever is later. Previously, the time for notice of injury was measured from one of the qualifying events or “manifestation” of PTSD, whichever was later.
The Bill also extends the deadline for a first responder to file a claim to 52 weeks after the qualifying event or the diagnosis of PTSD, whichever is later. Previously, the law required a claim to be filed within 52 weeks after the qualifying event.
“These new deadlines are important because they give first responders up to a year from the date of diagnosis of PTSD (as opposed to the manifestation of PTSD symptoms) to submit a claim. Prior to the Bill’s passage, a first responder might have endured years of crippling PTSD symptoms before receiving a diagnosis, only to learn that it was too late to file a claim and that they were no longer eligible for treatment.
Our first responders provide essential services to our communities, and giving them more time to seek and receive potentially life-changing treatment is a critical step in assisting them in their time of need,” says Masnikoff.
About Lyle B. Masnikoff and Associates, P.A.
The lawyers at Lyle B. Masnikoff and Associates, P.A. are dedicated to assisting our clients in fighting for their rights and benefits. The attorneys and staff are multilingual in Spanish, Creole, French, and Portuguese. We have attended thousands of depositions, mediations, arbitrations, hearings, and trials. Let us help you today. Florida residents in Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Miami, Port St. Lucie, Vero, Jacksonville, Fort Myers, Sarasota, and Daytona may turn to our attorneys for legal counsel in the areas of wrongful termination,and workers’ compensation.
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