Meuser Law Office, P.A., was honored to be invited again this year to present at the annual Law Enforcement Labor Services (LELS) steward training that took place on Wednesday, October 8, 2018, in Vadnais Heights, Minnesota. Meuser Law Office, P.A. is proud to be a sponsor of this event.

Earlier this year, the Minnesota Legislature took a huge step, and passed legislation creating a workers’ compensation statutory presumption of PTSD for our state’s first responders. In other words, for certain workers in the state of Minnesota, including police officers, firefighters, corrections officers, and others defined as “first responders,” a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder is to be presumed to be work-related. The goal of this bill, authorized by Representative Nick Zerwas (R), and which had almost unanimous support in the legislature, was to eliminate barriers to quick, effective medical care for our State’s first responders suffering from PTSD.

Dear Police Officer,

You need more car insurance! 

Sincerely,
A Lawyer Who Knows

Unfortunately, at Meuser Law Office, P.A. one of the issues we frequently encounter is when a Minnesota police officer, deputy sheriff, or state trooper who suffers a career ending injury does not have enough car insurance to adequately protect themselves.

Great news for Minnesota’s first responders! A bill has been passed by both the House and Senate, and is expected to be signed by the Governor, that adds additional workers’ compensation rights for our state’s first responders who are suffering from mental illness.

House Bill HF 3873 and the companion Bill in the Senate SF3420 have both passed with overwhelming support, and the bill is expected to be signed by Governor Dayton. The portion of the bill as it relates to first responders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) will take effect January 1, 2019.

This bill has been in the works for a few years now, but finally had enough support to pass. While it won’t necessarily have a significant impact on people who are currently in the Minnesota workers’ compensation system, we expect that it will make a major difference to those who find themselves struggling with work-related PTSD in the future.