Vancouver Island paramedic wins PTSD appeal

After a lengthy battle, a Vancouver Island paramedic’s WorkSafeBC claim for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been accepted.

Lisa Jennings hopes the victory will have a positive impact on all first responders and their ability to get help.

Jennings says she suffered post-traumatic stress from an incident that happened while on the job in June 2014.

She says she was assaulted while on a routine call, leaving her tortured by suicidal thoughts and flashbacks.

“I had a complete nervous breakdown,” Jennings said.

Her win reverses three previous decisions discounting her claim. But the victory has come at a cost.

“I lost my home because I’m on income assistance, B.C. Housing took forever to find me a place so I lived in my car,” Jennings said.

Now Jennings hopes her case will help ensure B.C. implements presumptive disability legislation for PTSD for first responders.

Ontario, the latest province to pass similar legislation, excluded nurses and that has the B.C. Nurses Union speaking out.

“Right now with the overdose crisis going on throughout the province, B.C. nurses are sometimes having to resuscitate the same individual several times a day.” B.C. Nurses’ Union President Gayle Duteil said.

“This is very physically and emotionally draining. Nurses have to be respected and included in any future legislation.”

B.C. Police Association President Tom Stamatakis told Global News legislation is just one small piece of the puzzle.

“You can have whatever legislation you want but if the policy piece isn’t there about how those claims are processed and ensuring timely access to care and appropriate care, then the legislation ends up being just a small part of it,” Stamatakis said.

In an email statement, Jobs Minister Shirley Bond pointed to an existing process which allows someone with a medical diagnosis of PTSD to make a claim through WorkSafeBC.

“We have also engaged with the federal government and our provincial and territorial colleagues to look at work that could be done at the national level,” Bond said in the statement.

WorkSafeBC said in 2015, of the 95 mental disorder claims from paramedics – including PTSD – 24 were accepted, 13 of which were for PTSD.