Responding to rising police PTSD claims

A growing number of police officers in Minnesota have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during the past two years and are receiving millions in payments through workers' compensation settlements and state disability pensions.

Though Minneapolis has the largest portion of cases from public safety workers, mostly police, with 43%, St. Paul has 9% and about 48% come from elsewhere in the state, according to the Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA). In addition to the high cost for state and local governments, the current system doesn't offer training or treatment options.

That's why a bill introduced this session at the Legislature merits approval. Rep. Jamie Long, DFL-Minneapolis, is sponsoring a measure (HF 4026) that would mandate preventive PTSD training for public safety workers. Those who are diagnosed would be required to do up to 32 weeks of treatment, with the state covering the cost, before they could apply for permanent disability under the state pension system. While in treatment, state funds would continue to cover their wages.

Long told an editorial writer that his bill "puts treatment first," with the hope that more of those who file those claims can return to work. He said the bill would provide a support system for those affected by PTSD, as well as funding to help cities and counties cover some of their spiking costs.

According to a recent Star Tribune news analysis of Minneapolis City Council minutes, the city has paid out more than $22 million in workers' compensation to about 130 officers for PTSD-related claims since the police murder of George Floyd in 2020. And the number could rise to 200 officers and a total of $35 million in settlements, according to an attorney representing most of the officers. Citing privacy issues, the city would neither confirm nor deny those figures.

For smaller city and county departments, payouts that large can be budget breakers. Minneapolis council members have expressed concern about significant impact on the city budget even as they have voted to approve payouts.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told an editorial writer that the city has seen significant police attrition that can be traced back to the change in the law. In 2013, the Legislature made PTSD an illness eligible for workers' compensation. Five years later, lawmakers amended the law to add the presumption that a public safety worker diagnosed with PTSD got it through their job, making it easier for them to qualify for the program.

Frey said that in most permanent disability claims, the filer has to show causation and that should be the case for public safety workers as well. Frey added that Minnesota could learn from Veterans Affairs, where PTSD has been "pretty extensively" studied.

"My understanding is that after a certain period of time about 70 percent of the vets who experienced the trauma can go back to work in the military," Frey said.

Along with rising workers' compensation claims, more police officers across the state are applying for and receiving permanent disability pensions. PERA received 666 applications from 2019 through 2021 for duty disability, and 80% were PTSD cases.

An official with a state organization of counties told an editorial writer that his members see reducing the number of permanent disabilities as a "workforce retention" issue. Matt Hilgart, government relations manager for the Association of Minnesota Counties, said that agencies across the state are hurting for workers and trying to recruit from the same pool. His organization supports the bill as an additional benefit for public safety workers to improve their mental health and retain them as officers.

Sen. Jeff Howe, R-Rockville, who is sponsoring the bill in the Senate, told the Star Tribune that treatment should be a priority. "Why are we just accepting the fact that we are kicking them to the curb and not caring for them? We need to take care of these folks."

Howe is right. Police officers, sheriffs deputies and firefighters often experience traumatic events and sometimes suffer long after them. They deserve more training and treatment help, and if more can return to work it will lessen the financial burdens on taxpayers.