Ky. HB 140 seeks to amend definition of injury for first responders

Kentucky HB 140, introduced in the 2019 legislative session, seeks to “amend KRS 342.0011 to clarify definition of ‘injury’ to include psychological injuries for certain employees; create a new section of KRS Chapter 342 to set out when the psychological injuries are valid workers’ compensation claims when no physical injury exists.”  KRS 342.0011 presently defines injury as:

[A]ny work-related traumatic event or series of traumatic events, including cumulative trauma, arising out of and in the course of employment which is the proximate cause producing a harmful change in the human organism evidenced by objective medical findings. “Injury” does not include the effects of the natural aging process, and does not include any communicable disease unless the risk of contracting the disease is increased by the nature of the employment. “Injury” when used generally, unless the context indicates otherwise, shall include an occupational disease and damage to a prosthetic appliance, but shall not include a psychological, psychiatric, or stress-related change in the human organism, unless it is a direct result of a physical injury.

Read the full text of the bill here.

By |2019-01-23T02:35:30+00:00January 23rd, 2019|