Bobby Treadway’s first seizure occurred while he was responding to a horrific car accident. His daughter remembered the first time she had one at home. “I can still see in my mind how his face turned purple and how he stayed still for a few moments until we got him breathing again,” he told state lawmakers Wednesday in Frankfort. But even though he worked for his local emergency medical services provider (dedicating his life to saving other people’s lives), Treadway said the Commonwealth of Kentucky would not provide workers’ compensation to his father, exacerbating his medical problems and ruined his family’s finances. Rep. Lindsey Burke, D-Lexington, said she plans to introduce legislation in the 2025 legislative session to change that. The problem, she said, lies in state law that says only physical injuries can be covered by Kentucky’s workers’ compensation system. Doctors determined that Bobby Treadway’s seizures were caused by post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, Treadway’s wife testified. Under Burke’s bill, psychological injuries would also be covered by Kentucky’s workers’ compensation system. “This is a sham that we can fix,” Burke said during Wednesday’s hearing. Similar bills have been introduced in the past but did not pass. Burke said she believes the next session could be different, since she has secured bipartisan co-sponsorship from Rep. John Blanton, R-Salyersville. Blanton is a former Kentucky State Trooper.
FRANKFORT, Ky. —
Bobby Treadway’s first seizure occurred while he was responding to a horrific car accident. His daughter remembered the first time she had one at home.
“I can still see in my mind how purple his face turned and how he stayed still for a few moments until we got him breathing again,” she told state lawmakers Wednesday in Frankfort.
But even though he worked for his local emergency medical services provider — dedicating his life to saving other people’s lives — Treadway said the Commonwealth of Kentucky would not provide workers’ compensation to his father, exacerbating his medical problems and ruined his family’s finances.
Rep. Lindsey Burke, D-Lexington, said she plans to introduce legislation in the 2025 legislative session to change that.
The problem, he said, lies in state law that says only physical injuries can be covered by Kentucky’s workers’ compensation system.
Doctors determined that Bobby Treadway’s seizures were caused by post-traumatic stress disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder, Treadway’s wife testified.
Under Burke’s bill, psychological injuries would also be covered by Kentucky’s workers’ compensation system.
“This is a travesty that we can fix,” Burke said during Wednesday’s hearing.
Similar bills have been introduced in the past, but have not passed.
Burke said he thinks the next session could be different, having secured bipartisan co-sponsorship from Rep. John Blanton, R-Salyersville. Blanton is a former Kentucky State Trooper.
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