§ 50-6-111 — Section definitions - Grant program, funding, and administration - Awarding of grants - Annual reports

(a) As used in this section: (1) "Department" means the department of labor and workforce development; (2) "Employer" means a municipality, county, metropolitan form of government, or other political subdivision of this state that employs firefighters; (3) "Fire department": (A) Means a department of a municipality, county, or political subdivision, or an organization, agency, or entity that offers its services, for or without pay, for the purpose of suppressing fires, performing rescue services, or for other emergency response purposes; and (B) Does not include law enforcement agencies, emergency medical agencies licensed by the Tennessee emergency medical services board, and rescue squads that do not provide fire protection; (4) "Firefighter": (A) Means a regular or full-time, paid employee of the fire department of a municipality, county, municipal form of government, or other political subdivision of this state and whose duties require the employee to actively engage in fire suppression, rescue services, or other emergency response tasks; and (B) Includes employees whose previous duties required the employee to respond to and be actively engaged in fire suppression, rescue services, or other emergency response tasks; (5) "Mental health professional" means an individual professionally licensed in this state to diagnose and treat post-traumatic stress disorders; and (6) "Post-traumatic stress disorder" has the same meaning as defined in the most recent publication of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) of the American Psychiatric Association. (b) The department shall establish and administer a grant program to mitigate the costs to an employer of providing workers' compensation for firefighters diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder by a mental health professional. (c) The department shall utilize existing staff to assist in the implementation of the program and provide grant funding from whatever funding sources are available, including available department funds and funds from the federal and state governments. (d) The department shall administer the program pursuant to rules promulgated by the department. The rules must provide for the awarding of grants to employers, or to the workers' compensation benefits provider of employers, who apply for a grant and meet the requirements described in subdivision (e)(1), which must be verified by the state fire marshal's office. (e) (1) The department may award an employer a grant if the employer provides mental health awareness training for its personnel, which must include: (A) Understanding the signs and symptoms of stress, depression, anxiety, psychological trauma, complex trauma, and addiction; (B) Understanding, navigating, and reducing mental health stigma; (C) Utilizing appropriate de-escalation strategies; and (D) Managing stress, using self-care techniques, developing coping skills, and promoting resiliency. (2) An employer may develop the mental health awareness training described in subdivision (e)(1), or may use a training program developed by another entity that satisfies the criteria set forth in subdivision (e)(1). (f) The employer shall grant a firefighter who receives mental health awareness training in accordance with subsection (e) appropriate continuing education credits. (g) The department shall annually provide a report, on or before February 1 each year, to the chairs of the state and local government committee of the senate and the local government committee of the house of representatives. The report must include an analysis of the number of claims brought under Section 1, the portion of those claims that resulted in a settlement or award of benefits, the effect of this section on costs to this state and its political subdivisions, and the balance of funds available for future claims. (h) This section is repealed December 31, 2028.

Legislative History

Added by 2023 Tenn. Acts, ch. 465, s 2, eff. 1/1/2024.