Virginia Senate Bill 860 was introduced, which would increase the maximum duration of benefits timeline for PTSD among first responders from 52 weeks to 500 weeks.

Maximum duration of benefits begins after the date of diagnosis that workers' compensation benefits are payable for post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder, or depressive disorder incurred by law-enforcement officers and firefighters acting in the line of duty.

The bill also removes the prohibition on medical treatment, temporary total incapacity benefits, or temporary partial incapacity benefits from being awarded beyond four years from the date of the qualifying event that was the primary cause of the mental health injury.

Additionally, the bill expands the definition of law-enforcement officer to include any civilian employed by a county, city, or town police department or by a sheriff's office as a crime scene investigator for the purposes of worker's compensation claims related to post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder, or depressive disorder.

Virginia House Bill 2060 was also introduced, featuring a similar increase of maximum duration of benefits for PTSD. However, this bill also would increase maximum duration of benefits for anxiety disorders and depressive disorders from 52 weeks to 104 weeks.

And finally, Virginia House Bill 1951 was introduced, which would expand the current PTSD presumption to also include dispatchers.