Kansas Launches Program for First Responders Recovering from Trauma

Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt announced that the Kansas Department of Insurance is now accepting reimbursement requests for the HERO Act.

The Helping First Responders Overcoming Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or HERO Act, is a pilot program to help emergency responders by providing reimbursement for assessment and treatment of certain psychological conditions resulting from duty-related trauma.

The HERO Act was established this year by a proviso to the state budget, establishing a fund to be administered by the Department.

First responders who meet the requirements may be eligible to receive reimbursement for the diagnosis and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), acute stress disorder (ASD), or subclinical syndromes of either disorder as a direct result of a duty-related traumatic event.

A million dollars is set aside to be administered through the pilot program to eligible first responders.