Florida Workers’ Compensation Attorneys for First Responders with PTSD
Law Office in Tampa, FL
The stress of working as a first responder is intense. It is unlike anything that most people will ever be able to truly understand if they have not worked a job like it. Given what first responders are exposed to, it is common for them to suffer from PTSD, which can be debilitating. You can feel like you’ve lost your normal life if you suffer PTSD. You may long for the days before your work as a first responder when you didn’t suffer like this. PTSD is a long-term health issue, and when you are able to show that the development of your PTSD is due to your work as a first responder, you should pursue a workers’ compensation case. Our Florida workers’ compensation attorneys for first responders with PTSD are here to help. Please call right away for your free initial consultation.
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What Workers’ Compensation is For
The description is in the name: Workers’ compensation gives compensation to workers who have experienced harm or injuries due to their workplace. Our Florida workers’ compensation attorneys for first responders with PTSD have special knowledge of cases like yours. We have seen a lot of first responders come to us for help because they experience PTSD. Suffering PTSD is a serious health issue that can affect the way you live your daily life.
We can help you file for workers’ compensation. This compensation is going to provide financial relief for your medical bills, therapy, medication, etc. PTSD is a bit different from other workers’ compensation cases because you cannot necessarily provide a timeline of when a patient will be complete free of symptoms. For instance, someone having a broken bone from a fall that happened at work will likely have a set amount of time they will wear a cast and a set amount of time where they will participate in physical therapy until they will be expected to be almost back to normal. PSTD is not a curable illness but there are ways to manage the symptoms.
We understand that, especially with first responders, there is a hesitation to file the claim and take the time to step back and start treatment. There is a lot riding on your shoulders as a first responder and we understand it might be hard to hear from a doctor that you need to take some time to focus on your health. It might mean that you spend less time serving the community. We know how frustrating this may feel but we assure you that it is a good thing to file a claim. You can’t pour from an empty cup.
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Doing a 4-Step Test
It isn’t always easy to prove that PTSD came from a workplace. Please understand that, when you are seeking financial relief to help treat the symptoms of PTSD, the insurance company is going to do what they do and try to reduce what they owe you. We need to get ahead of them and put them on the defensive. We want a strong case of correlation that they would have to disprove rather than us trying to prove something that they’ve already wrote off as irrelevant.
What we mean by this is we will prove that there is a correlation between your PTSD and the work you do as a first responder. Your Florida workers’ compensation attorneys for first responders with PTSD will go through a four-step test to build a strong foundation for your case.
- We show the insurance company that you work a stressful job. If you think that your PTSD is related to a certain incident or series of events, we will bring forth evidence of these events.
- We will look for a physical that you went through before your employment where you hopefully had not been diagnosed with PTSD. A lack of a diagnosis of PTSD before you started working as a first responder will be strong evidence for us.
- Next, we look for a current diagnosis that you have that shows you have PTSD. We can draw some conclusions that you more than likely suffer PTSD due to your job.
- We show the insurance company all of the ways your PTSD diagnosis has impacted your life.
Our Florida workers’ compensation attorneys for first responders with PTSD do this because it puts us ahead of the insurance company. We want them trying to catch up with us, because these cases are so hard to prove.
First Responders with PTSD
There have been studies done and research that has shown that there may be a correlation between stressful jobs of first responders and the development of PTSD. There was a survey done in 1205 by Fitch & Associates’ Ambulance Service Manager Program that involved over 4,000 people. This survey revealed that 86% of participants experienced stress related to their job that either stemmed from one incident or an accumulation of stress over a longer course of time.
The survey also revealed that 37% of participants said that they were at some point suicidal, while 6.6% of participants said they made attempts on their own lives.
Our Florida workers’ compensation attorneys for first responders with PTSD understand the severity of PTSD and we know that for our first responders such as police officers, firefighters, and EMTs, all see horrors in your job that could shake up the soundest of minds forever. Please know that you have rights to workers’ compensation that we can help you get.
Whether you suffer from PTSD due to what you saw on duty or what happened to you, such as an extreme injury, we want you to know that you are eligible for workers’ compensation, which is meant to help you with the financial losses related to your PTSD.
If you are unsure whether you suffer PTSD, we urge you to seek medical help to get an official diagnosis. These are the most common symptoms of PTSD:
- Trouble sleeping due to nightmares
- Seeing previous events in flashbacks
- Depression and irritability
- Behavior that could be categorized as self-destructive
- Anxiety
- Being emotionally detached
There is a myriad of health issues that can stem from PTSD such as GI issues, high blood pressure, headaches, fatigue, ulcers, and more. When you file for workers’ compensation, you not only seek financial relief for your PTSD treatment, but can also receive financial relief for your associated health issues.
Taking Care of Yourself
We know that first responders tend to be active and giving people. It is hard to take a break even when it is needed. We know that with PTSD, you won’t be in search of a cure, but when symptoms become intrusive of your daily life, we want you to be able to take some time and get the treatment you require. If that means you have therapy sessions once a week, we urge you to do so. If it means starting on a medication with your physician’s supervision, we urge you to try.
PTSD doesn’t just go away, and leaving it untreated can increase the severity of the symptoms. We hope you take good care of yourself. In the meantime, allow our Florida Workers’ Compensation Attorneys for First Responders with PTSD help you get the financial relief you need in order to get the help you deserve.
Call Our Florida Workers’ Compensation Lawyers for First Responders with PTSD Today
If you suffer PTSD because of your job as a first responder, please call our Florida workers’ compensation attorneys for first responders with PTSD today. We know that it is difficult for you to deal with this and try to maintain some normalcy. We know that you may hesitate to reach out because you want to continue to serve your community and you care about those who rely on you for safety. We respect that, but we also urge you to reach out. PTSD can make your life difficult to manage. The sooner you seek help, the sooner you can start to manage your PTSD. Please call us right away to set up your free initial consultation.
Frequently Asked PTSD Questions
How does a first responder qualify for PTSD benefits?
We were recently contacted by a union leader who asked what is necessary for his members to make a mental health or PTSD type claim. We explained that there are actually two types of claims that can be made. Normally, under regular workers’ compensation, you need to have a physical injury along with your mental health claim for that to stand, but for first responders there’s an exception to that. If you’re just making a mental health claim and not seeking lost wages, you need to just advise your employer, file a notice of injury, and request the care and the benefits. Again, that will be medical care provided, but not the lost wage or lost income.
On the flip side, there’s a new part of the statute and a new section that entitles a first responder in Florida to lost wages if he’s out for PTSD, a mental health claim, as a result of a qualifying incident and have a manifestation or symptoms develop within 52 weeks of that qualifying event. Please call us at Oliver and Fox. We’d be happy to discuss what benefits are available for you under these types of cases and claims.
Can my first responder workers’ compensation claim be apportioned due to pre-existing PTSD?
We were recently asked by a first responder if he was able to make a PTSD claim, even though he had some prior mental health history. The answer is likely yes, but it depends on the facts of the specific incident or qualifying event that that first responder has seen or endured. Please call us at Oliver and Fox. We’d be happy to evaluate your case and claim.
How long do I have to file a first responder workers’ compensation claim in Florida?
We had a client who reached out to us because he suffered an injury, and he wanted to know how long he had to report that claim. The answer to that question is very complicated in Florida because depending upon when the claim occurred, if treatment was provided or if notification was provided to a supervisor, the answer could vary. In addition, Florida has a requirement that on all compensable claims that you must treat one time per year in order to keep the claim open. Unfortunately, we see oftentimes and individual have a workers’ compensation claim, however those benefits lapse because they do not keep up with their annual treatment.
If you would like to reach out and contact us, we can tell you whether or not you have made a viable claim and, if your treatment has lapsed or if your treatment has not lapsed or even if it has lapsed, look at ways we can help assist you to make sure you’re getting medical care and benefits.
What is an occupational disease as it relates to first responders?
We were recently contacted by a personal injury attorney who was referring a physical injury for a Florida first responder, and he asked us a very good question as to what other types of injuries may be available for Florida first responders. We explained that there could be repetitive physical injuries, exposure types of claims. There’s presumption claims such as hypertension and heart disease. There’s mental health claims, PTSD, and cancer for firefighters.
If you have any of these types of claims, please call us at Oliver and Fox for a free consultation.
What conditions are presumed to be work-related for first responders in Florida?
We are often asked, with regard to fault in workers’ comp, whether you can still make a claim. The fault in workers’ comp should not matter. There are extenuating circumstances, but most of the time fault is not taken into account and workers’ compensation benefits are available regardless of whether you may be at fault or not, that includes, in a car accident for example, where you can be found at-fault for the car accident but still be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits.
We often have multiple party types of accidents as well, where there could be a slip and fall, or a trip, or, again, like a motor vehicle accident, so whether you caused the accident, were a victim, or no one was at fault, you may be eligible for workers’ comp benefits. Please contact us at Oliver and Fox. We’d be very happy to discuss this with you.
What injuries and illnesses are covered for first responders in Florida?
We were talking to an attorney the other day that inquired as to what would constitute a workers’ compensation case, claim, or injury. There are many types of cases, many types of claims, especially for first responders. You can have just a regular physical injury; you can have a repetitive trauma injury, meaning knees, think carpal tunnel syndrome, and it can occur in your back or neck as well; you can also have heart/lung, high blood pressure, hypertension, heart disease. All of those are covered under special first responder statutes, the Heart/Lung Bill. There’s also cancer for firefighters and mental health, PTSD, for all first responders.
These benefits are available, and they do constitute workers’ compensation benefits. You may be entitled to benefits and just not be aware of it. Please feel free to contact us for a free consultation at Oliver and Fox.
How do I choose the best workers’ compensation attorney for first responders in Florida?
In choosing the right attorney to represent an injured first responder regarding a workers’ compensation claim, it’s important to select an attorney that is well-versed not only in workers’ comp, but also can handle the issues regarding the agency and potentially pension issues. A lot of times our clients come to us and they have injuries, and we are able to provide their benefits and put them back to work relatively easy and quickly with no issues. However, there are occasions when an injured first responder cannot return back to work, and this affects not only their employment but as well as potential pension issues within line-of-duty disability pension.
We invite you to call our firm so that we can discuss these options, whether your injury is relatively small or catastrophic, where we can help with those recommendations.
Why should I make a first responder workers’ compensation claim when I am still working, being paid, and have medical care provided?
I’m often asked by injured Florida first responders why they should make a workers’ compensation claim when they’re still working, still being paid by the employer, and they have the medical care being provided to them through their health insurance. The answer is, if you don’t make that proper claim through workers’ compensation and the condition progresses, or you have a worse injury down the road later in your career, you may not be able to make a workers’ compensation claim, as the injury that you’re treating for presently may be deemed to be the major contributing cause and not related to work because you didn’t file a claim.
It’s very important that claims are filed and processed the proper way through the proper means and channels. Please call us at Oliver and Fox. We’d be happy to evaluate your claim and help assess whether you should or should not make a claim.
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