New York Enacts New Law for Workers Facing Job-Related Mental Injury
Key Takeaways: Kathy Hochul has signed a bill expanding the statutory carveout applied to police officers, firefighters, and EMTs who filed a claim for mental injury due to extraordinary work-related stress S.6635/A.5745 now allows all workers to apply for Workers’ Compensation for extraordinary work-related stress The law takes effect January 1 Under S.6635/A.5745: Where a [worker] files a claim for mental injury premised upon extraordinary work-related stress incurred at [work], the board may not disallow the claim upon a factual finding that the stress was not greater than that which usually occurs in the normal work environment. A major part of this law is that now all employees in New York can apply for workers’ compensation if they feel they are undergoing a mental health crisis caused by their job. In the past, this option was only available for select first responder positions. Unlike other accidental injuries, there are two requirements in a claimant’s case that are unique to...