05/13/2026
A new bipartisan effort in Michigan is taking an important step toward supporting the mental health of our first responders. Recent legislation aims to make it easier for firefighters, EMS, and law enforcement to access benefits and care for PTSD, recognizing the real impact this job has on those who answer the call every day.
This legislation follows a model similar to existing cancer presumption laws, which recognize that certain job-related health conditions are directly tied to the work we do. Just as those protections have helped firefighters access care and benefits for occupational cancers, this effort acknowledges that repeated exposure to traumatic incidents can have lasting mental health effects and ensures those impacts are treated with the same level of seriousness and support.
We see firsthand how critical this support is. The calls don’t end when the shift does and neither should the care.
Thank you to State Representatives Mike McFall and Mike Mueller for leading the way on this bipartisan legislation and standing up for first responders across our state!
LANSING — A bipartisan proposal working its way through the state Legislature aims to help first responders who need treatment for psychological trauma. State representatives Mike McFall, D-Hazel Park, and Mike Mueller, R-Linden, recently introduced House Bills 5952 and 5953.