Mont. governor vetoes bill providing PTSD workers’ comp coverage for first responders

By Seaborn Larson
Missoulian

HELENA, Mont. — Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte last week vetoed a bill to identify post-traumatic stress disorder among police, firefighters and emergency care providers as an eligible claim for workers’ compensation.

The governor’s decision followed outreach from commerce and insurance groups urging him to reject the change in policy, much of which he released alongside his veto letter. The legislation, known as Senate Bill 394 from Sen. Cora Neumann, D- Bozeman, also faced potential legal hurdles by singling out first responders as worthy of workers’ compensation coverage for PTSD.

“They face danger, severe stress and trauma as a result of their heroic work, and they carry much of it with them, long after their day…