Workers Compensation Changes
The Wyoming Legislature has taken on as a very large project to overhaul the workers compensation program. Many of the problems lie with the present manner in which it is implemented by the executive branch, but there are also legislative changes that can occur. One of the smaller changes that may have a great impact on many people's lives is the one small part that the committee that Senator Aullman and I co-chair have taken on. Our committee, the Select Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse, is looking at making changes to the manner in which mental injuires are compensated. Presently a worker can only receive compensation if the mental injury is directly related to a physical injury and once the physical injury is cured, then the mental injury can only be treated for a maximum of 6 months.
We heard testimony from a very brave firefighter from Evanston. He volunteered as a fireman and was assured that if he was ever injured that the State would have his back. He lost two fellow firefighers in a fire and he now has PTSD from the incident. The state is not compensating him for his mental injury. We will begin hearings in August to get to the bottom of this issue and hopefully form a bill that will resolve this issue.