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A bill signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul Friday, Dec. 6, allows employees statewide to file for workers’ compensation for specific types of mental injury caused by extraordinary work-related stress.
The crucial protections were previously limited to first responders.
“New Yorkers work hard — and those who have experienced the unthinkable while on the job deserve to be treated fairly,” Hochul said. “The mental health crisis our country has experienced since the COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented, and we need to do everything in our power to lend a hand to those in need. I'll never stop fighting for the working people of New York.”
The law, sponsored by Democratic Assemblymember Karines Reyes, reflects a broader shift toward acknowledging the importance of mental health in the workplace. Advocates, including organized labor groups, have long pushed for recognition of mental health conditions as deserving of workers’ compensation benefits.
“For far too long, New York’s workers have been denied the basic access of having their claims of work-related mental distress from being reviewed by the Workers’ Compensation Board,” said Reyes.
“Claims of post-traumatic stress disorder and other forms of mental injury, which are becoming more common in workplaces and industries, are more than deserving of study and potential consideration for disability benefits.”
She went on to say that it’s time for New York to recognize that productivity requires “the safety and security of the mind, equal to that of the body.”
The new legislation builds on Hochul’s efforts to strengthen the state’s mental health care system. Her 2025 budget includes $20 million to continue expanding school-based mental health clinic satellites and $19 million to provide critical care to young people outside of schools.
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