First responders (peace officers, firefighters, emergency medical professionals and technicians, 911 operators, probation officers, and jail and correctional officers) serving Georgia public entities on an employed or volunteer basis now have a right to valuable benefits, effective January 1, 2025. With the recent passage of the Ashley Wilson Act (House Bill 451), these benefits are payable if you are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder arising from your service for any Georgia public entity. To support prompt treatment and return to service, the Act requires that first responders can quickly and confidentially obtain a lump-sum payment upon diagnosis and long-term disability benefits, if needed.
Your mental health is just as important as your physical health
The state of Georgia understands that for first responders, the emotional challenges of the job can be as strenuous as the physical demands. We know the importance of whole person health — physical, mental, financial, and social — and strive to provide benefits that support the well-being of individuals and their families. We recognize that as a first responder, you serve our state with compassion, loyalty, and dedication and deserve care for your own mental health.
DOAS worked with MetLife and Lockton to develop a new benefit offering designed to comply with the Ashley Wilson Act’s specific requirements. MetLife’s Occupational PTSD Benefit for Georgia First Responders combines a lump sum payment through Critical Illness Insurance as well as additional income replacement through Long Term Disability Insurance. The lump sum payment and disability benefits are exempt from federal and Georgia state tax.
Lump Sum Benefit
The supplemental benefit creates two once-per-lifetime benefits to assist with uninsured costs associated with PTSD treatment and recovery for eligible first responders.
- The first is a $3,000 lump-sum benefit paid following the diagnosis of occupational PTSD by a qualified diagnostician.
- The second is a long-term disability benefit if you are no longer able to perform your duties as a first responder due to your PTSD diagnosis.
Benefits are paid directly to you based on a flat schedule (not reimbursement) and there is no coordination with other insurance coverage.