Work-comp deadline and PTSD evidence gap fuel denials, panel hears

The Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement work group on disability heard that a statutory 14-day window for insurers to accept or deny workers'comp claims conflicts with clinical timelines for diagnosing post-traumatic stress disorder, creating a recurring barrier for public-safety workers seeking compensation.

Cara Huberty, work comp department manager for the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust, told the panel that Minnesota recognizes two categories of mental-health claims linked to physical injury but that "claims where mental stress results in a mental injury are not compensible with a limited exception for certain post-traumatic stress disorder claims." She explained that under current statute a PTSD diagnosis must be documented by a licensed psychiatrist or psychologist and that symptoms typically must persist for 30 days — a clinical threshold that often comes after the 14-day administrative deadline for a compensability determination.

Work group members raised policy options including extending the 14-day window to 45 days or amending the law so the insurer'decision clock starts when a formal PTSD diagnosis is received. State labor staff clarified that the current 14-day rule is statutory but that an accepted claim can be revisited if later evidence emerges. Several members told the panel they worry that early denials push claimants toward litigation and disability pensions rather than quicker clinical resolution and return-to-work efforts.

The presenters urged a combined approach: legal clarity on timelines plus improved access to mental-health treatment and clearer medical-documentation guidelines to reduce unnecessary denials. The work group agreed to "put a pin in" the issue for further study and possible legislative recommendation.