New Jersey Enacts PTSD Employment Protections for First Responders
What to Know
- The law applies to firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, dispatchers, and law enforcement officers employed by public agencies.
- Employers cannot discriminate, harass, or retaliate against employees requesting leave for PTSD or returning after treatment.
- Qualifying PTSD diagnoses must be documented by a mental health professional or court order, linking the condition to job-related trauma.
TRENTON, New Jersey -- New Jersey has enacted legislation establishing employment protections for paid first responders diagnosed with work-related post-traumatic stress disorder, following unanimous passage by the State Legislature and the governor’s signature.
Assembly Bill No. 2145 and Senate Bill No. 2373, formally titled the New Jersey First Responders Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Protection Act, became law on Jan. 14, 2026. The measure applies to public employers and covers paid firefighters, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, dispatchers, and law enforcement officers.
The law prohibits public employers from discharging, harassing, discriminating against, or retaliating against a first responder for taking or requesting leave related to a qualifying post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis. It also requires employers to reinstate an employee whose fitness to return to work has been documented by a mental health professional, as defined in the statute, to the same position and duties held prior to the leave.
Qualifying post-traumatic stress disorder diagnoses must either be memorialized in an order issued by a judge of the Division of Workers’ Compensation or result from an examination by a mental health professional who determines the condition arose from a traumatic event during the performance of regular or assigned duties, or from vicarious trauma related to those duties.
The law authorizes current or former employees to bring civil actions in the Division of Workers’ Compensation for alleged violations. Courts may order civil fines of $5,000 for a first offense and $10,000 for subsequent offenses, injunctive relief, reinstatement to the same or an equivalent position, restoration of seniority and fringe benefits, compensation for lost wages or benefits, and payment of reasonable attorney’s fees and costs.
In a statement, Professional Firefighters Association of New Jersey (PFANJ) President Matthew Caliente said the law provides clarity and job security for first responders seeking treatment for service-connected trauma.
“This law is about fairness and job protection, ensuring that first responders who suffer from service-connected PTSD are not punished for doing the job they were sworn to do,” Caliente said.
International Association of Fire Fighters General President Edward Kelly also commented on the law’s passage, crediting PFANJ’s advocacy and the governor’s support.
Assemblyman William Moen (D-Camden) and Senator James Beach (D-Camden/Burlington), primary sponsors of the legislation, said the law is intended to allow first responders to seek mental health treatment without fear of retaliation or job loss.
According to PFANJ, the legislation follows years of advocacy and legislative revisions, with support from multiple labor organizations. The association stated that the law is designed to protect seniority, benefits, and income for first responders who require leave related to post-traumatic stress disorder.