An Act To Support E-9-1-1 Dispatchers and Corrections Officers Diagnosed with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (AFTER DEADLINE)
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 1600
Committee: Labor and Housing
Sponsors: DILLINGHAM, HAMPER, ARATA, GATTINE, KESCHL, MILLETT, MOONEN, DESCHAMBAULT
Amends: 39-A MRSA §201

Legislative Document
No. 1600
H.P. 1159
House of Representatives, April 18, 2019
An Act To Support E-9-1-1 Dispatchers and Corrections Officers 
Diagnosed with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
(AFTER DEADLINE)
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
205.
Reference to the Committee on Labor and Housing suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative DILLINGHAM of Oxford.
Cosponsored by Senator HAMPER of Oxford and
Representatives: ARATA of New Gloucester, GATTINE of Westbrook, KESCHL of Belgrade, 
MILLETT of Waterford, MOONEN of Portland, Senator: DESCHAMBAULT of York.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  39-A MRSA §201, sub-§3-A, ¶B, as enacted by PL 2017, c. 294, §2, is 
amended to read:
B.  The employee is a law enforcement officer, corrections officer, E-9-1-1 
dispatcher, firefighter or emergency medical services person and is diagnosed by an 
allopathic physician or an osteopathic physician licensed under Title 32, chapter 48 or 
chapter 36, respectively, with a specialization in psychiatry or a psychologist licensed 
under Title 32, chapter 56 as having post-traumatic stress disorder that resulted from 
work stress, that the work stress was extraordinary and unusual compared with that 
experienced by the average employee and the work stress and not some other source 
of stress was the predominant cause of the post-traumatic stress disorder, in which 
case the post-traumatic stress disorder is presumed to have arisen out of and in the 
course of the worker's employment.  This presumption may be rebutted by clear and 
convincing evidence to the contrary.  For purposes of this paragraph, "law 
enforcement officer," "corrections officer," "firefighter" and "emergency medical 
services person" have the same meaning as in section 328-A, subsection 1.  For the 
purposes of this paragraph, "E-9-1-1 dispatcher" means a person who receives calls 
made to the E-9-1-1 system and dispatches emergency services.  "E-9-1-1 dispatcher" 
includes an emergency medical dispatcher as defined in Title 32, section 85-A, 
subsection 1, paragraph D.
By January 1, 2022, the board shall submit a report to the joint standing committee of 
the Legislature having jurisdiction over labor matters that includes an analysis of the 
number of claims brought under this paragraph, the portion of those claims that 
resulted in a settlement or award of benefits and the effect of the provisions of this 
paragraph on costs to the State and its subdivisions.  The Department of 
Administrative and Financial Services, Bureau of Human Resources and the 
Department of Public Safety shall assist the board in developing the report, and the 
board shall seek the input of an association, the membership of which consists 
exclusively of counties, municipalities and other political or administrative 
subdivisions, in the development of the report.
This paragraph is repealed October 1, 2022.
SUMMARY
This bill adds corrections officers and E-9-1-1 dispatchers to the list of employees for 
whom there is a rebuttable presumption under the laws governing workers' compensation 
that when the employee is diagnosed by a licensed psychiatrist or psychologist as having 
post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from work stress that was extraordinary and 
unusual, the post-traumatic stress disorder is presumed to have arisen out of and in the 
course of the worker's employment.