WA - PTSD precedent introduced
Ambulance workers in WA with PTSD will automatically be entitled to workers' compensation next month. The new provisions apply to ambulance officers, paramedics and ambulance communications officers who are diagnosed with PTSD on or after 1 February.
The changes are significant as the legislation presumes an ambulance worker's PTSD to have been significantly caused by their employment, unless their employer can prove otherwise. For workers who regularly face traumatic scenes at work, this relieves the burden of having to prove their PTSD was caused by their work.
According to the WA Industrial Relations Minister and Mental Health Minister, the current claims process for ambulance workers with PTSD can cause further harm by requiring them to relive traumatic events and delaying support.