Emergency workers will have an easier time claiming Workers’ Compensation Board benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder under new legislation announced this week.
“First responders play a very important role in our community, the safety of our community and the safety of Albertans and we want them to know that we will be there for them,” said Human Service Minister Dave Hancock when he introduced the bill Thursday.
The new bill, the first and likely only bill to be introduced into a short sitting of the legislature, makes PTSD a presumptive condition for first responders such as police officers, firefighters and paramedics.
The change means a first responder diagnosed with the condition will not have to prove the PTSD is job related to receive benefits.
“We are doing what we can to show the appreciation of Albertans,” said Hancock.
Dealing with the administrative burden has in the past stood in the way of first responders getting treatment, says Edmonton firefighter Gerry Johnson.
Johnson was diagnosed with PTSD and eventually received coverage, but said the process made getting help more difficult.
“They have to go through so many hoops, so many things just to get their claim going,” he said. “It is about early prevention and it is also about getting individuals help faster so it is easier for them to get help.”
St. Albert Fire chief Ray Richards said he welcomes the change.
“In their lives they see a lot of things that are very traumatic, so anything we can do to safeguard them and make sure they get their proper care, I think is a positive thing.”
Richards said the city has a good program in place for helping firefighters and other responders deal with trauma and there is also a regional team for first responders that can help with difficult situations.
“We have got people who are trained to deal with these kinds of issues on staff.”
As a national agency the RCMP isn’t covered under WCB, so the change won’t affect local officers, but the force does have outlets to help officers cope with traumatic situations.
“We have our own health services systems and anybody who would be experiencing that, we have access to all kinds of medical services,” said local detachment commander Insp. Kevin Murray.
Murray said legislation like this, as well as other discussions about post-traumatic stress, has brought the issue into focus.
“It has really brought that to the forefront, and it is a recognition what this is and that there needs to be something in place.”
While introduced, the bill is unlikely to be passed in this legislative session, which is set to end next week. Debate on the bill will continue when the legislature returns in the fall.
Premier Alison Redford said the legislature would not sit longer to pass the bill.
“What we are going to do is introduce the legislation, make sure it is getting good solid debate over the summer and then get it passed.”
Redford, who has been criticized in the past for rushing through bills, said Thursday she wants to make sure MLAs’ opinions are properly considered.
“We need to make sure the legislature is doing its work,” she said. “This is all part of a new approach to how the legislature needs to work.”
NDP leader Brian Mason said he supported the bill, but did criticize it for not going further. He said other emergency workers, such as nurses and caregivers, should also have the same coverage.
“It seems to me that they have a real fondness of enhancing the rights of those who wear uniforms, but not necessarily those who are working in the care area.”
