AB142

Under existing law, with certain exceptions, an injury or disease sustained by an employee that is caused by stress is compensable under industrial insurance if it arose out of and in the course of his or her employment. Existing law deems an injury or disease caused by stress that afflicts an employee who is a first responder to arise out of and in the course of employment if the employee proves by clear and convincing medical or psychiatric evidence that the employee has a mental injury which is caused by extreme stress for which the primary cause was the employee witnessing an event or series of events during the course of his or her employment that involved: (1) the death, or the aftermath of the death, of a person as a result of a violent event; or (2) an injury, or the aftermath of an injury, that involves grievous bodily harm of a nature that shocks the conscience. Existing law defines the term “first responder” for the purposes of those provisions to include: (1) a salaried or volunteer firefighter; (2) a police officer; (3) an emergency dispatcher or call taker who is employed by a law enforcement agency or public safety agency in this State; or (4) an emergency medical technician or paramedic who is employed by a public safety agency in this State. (NRS 616C.180) This bill adds a civilian employee of a law enforcement agency whose primary duties involve responding to and investigating crime scenes to the list of persons who constitute a first responder for the purpo