APPROVED CHAPTER
JULY 8, 2021 419
BY GOVERNOR PUBLIC LAW
STATE OF MAINE
_____
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-ONE
_____
H.P. 343 - L.D. 467
An Act To Support E-9-1-1 Dispatchers and Corrections Officers Diagnosed
with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
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.
Page 1 - 130LR1000(05)
 This paragraph is repealed October 1, 2022.
Sec. 2. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and
allocations are made.
CORRECTIONS, DEPARTMENT OF
Administration - Corrections 0141
Initiative: Provides ongoing funds to support the costs associated with increased payments
of workers' compensation benefits for correctional officers diagnosed as having post-
traumatic stress disorder by a psychiatrist or psychologist as a result of work stress.
GENERAL FUND 2021-22 2022-23
Personal Services $67,500 $67,500
__________ __________
GENERAL FUND TOTAL $67,500 $67,500
Page 2 - 130LR1000(05)


Statutes affected:
Bill Text LD 467, HP 343: 39-A.201
Bill Text ACTPUB , Chapter 419: 39-A.201