NEW for @azcentral subscribers: Sgt. John France, in law enforcement for more than 35 years, had never killed a man until June 18, 2017. Father's Day.

Even though he was diagnosed with PTSD, he was denied workers' comp. Why? Here's a thread https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2020/04/10/arizona-law-enforcement-officers-access-workers-compensation-ptsd-john-france/4358284002/

State law says workers' comp claims for mental health have to prove the injury (like PTSD) was caused by "unexpected, unusual or extraordinary" stress

How do you begin to define these terms?

Is that definition different for a police officer who carries a gun vs. someone like me who works in the private sector? Is it different from officer to officer? Is something more "unusual" for traffic enforcement than for SWAT teams?

Police advocates say the law needs to change. They say it needs to become "presumptive," like Arizona's laws for cancer diagnoses in first responders.

Basically, they say the "unexpected, unusual or extraordinary" language needs to go, because those can mean different things

My colleagues and I will continue to look into workers' compensation issues across the state this year. If you've had an issue with a claim or know someone who has, please DM me or email me at [email protected]

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