Provincial presumptive PTSD legislation comes into effect today.
Minister of Service NL Sherry Gambin-Walsh says they’re ready and prepared to handle the new paperwork. She says they’ve created a new unit dedicated to handling traumatic mental health claims, and have three new case managers.
Minister Gambin-Walsh says they’re also seeking a psychology assistant to help them.
The legislation will allow workers who experience traumatic events as a result of their work to apply for Worker’s Compensation.
The new legislation was widely applauded by first responders, but did receive some push-back from employers groups. The minister says PTSD is a complex diagnosis, and she reflected on cases she encountered in her previous experience as a registered nurse.
She worked at the Waterford in the early 1990s, and knows now that she was caring for a patient with PTSD.
She says it’s not something you can fake.