A 6-1 Arizona Supreme Court majority concluded that workers’ compensation coverage for mental illnesses must arise from “unexpected, unusual or extraordinary stress” and that such limitations are not unconstitutional for those already employed in high stress jobs, like first responders.
However, Laura Clymer, counsel for a Tucson police officer who was denied compensation for his claim of job-induced post-traumatic stress disorder, said it’s unclear whether the court’s opinion simply reaffirms the state Legislature’s right to limit workers’ compensation benefits or “takes our workers’ compensation law back 90 years by narrowly defining what an ‘injury’ and and ‘accident’ are.”
