HB2204 - First responders; post-traumatic stress disorder

PREFILED JAN 09 2026 REFERENCE TITLE: first responders; post-traumatic stress disorder State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-seventh Legislature Second Regular Session 2026 HB 2204 Introduced by Representative Bliss AN ACT amending sections 23-901, 23-901.01, 23-901.04, 23-901.05, 23-901.09, 23-1061 and 23-1105, Arizona Revised Statutes; amending title 23, chapter 6, article 12, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 23-1106; amending section 38-672, Arizona Revised Statutes; repealing Laws 2016, chapter 240, section 2, as amended by Laws 2022, chapter 377, section 2; relating to workers' compensation. (TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE) Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona: Section 1. Section 23-901, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read: START_STATUTE 23-901. Definitions In this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires: 1. "Award" means the finding or decision of an administrative law judge or the commission as to the amount of compensation or benefit due an injured employee or the dependents of a deceased employee. 2. "Client" means an individual, association, company, firm, partnership, corporation or any other legally recognized entity that is subject to this chapter and that enters into a professional employer agreement with a professional employer organization. 3. "Co-employee" means every person employed by an injured employee's employer. 4. "Commission" means the industrial commission of Arizona. 5. "Compensation" means the compensation and benefits provided by this chapter. 6. "Employee", "workman", "worker" and "operative" means: (a) Every person in the service of this state or a county, city, town, municipal corporation or school district, including regular members of lawfully constituted police and fire departments of cities and towns, whether by election, appointment or contract of hire. (b) Every person in the service of any employer subject to this chapter, including aliens and minors legally or illegally allowed to work for hire, but not including a person whose employment is both: (i) Casual. (ii) Not in the usual course of the trade, business or occupation of the employer. (c) Lessees of mining property and the lessees' employees and contractors engaged in the performance of work that is a part of the business conducted by the lessor and over which the lessor retains supervision or control are within the meaning of this paragraph employees of the lessor, and are deemed to be drawing wages as are usually paid employees for similar work. The lessor may deduct from the proceeds of ores mined by the lessees the premium required by this chapter to be paid for such employees. (d) Regular members of volunteer fire departments organized pursuant to title 48, chapter 5, article 1, regular firefighters of any volunteer fire department, including private fire protection service organizations, organized pursuant to title 10, chapters 24 through 40, volunteer firefighters serving as members of a fire department of any incorporated city or town or an unincorporated area without pay or without full pay and on a part-time basis, and voluntary policemen peace officers and volunteer firefighters serving in any incorporated city, town or unincorporated area without pay or without full pay and on a part-time basis, are deemed to be employees, but for the purposes of this chapter, the basis for computing wages for premium payments and compensation benefits for regular members of volunteer fire departments organized pursuant to title 48, chapter 5, article 1, or organized pursuant to title 10, chapters 24 through 40, regular members of any private fire protection service organization, volunteer firefighters and volunteer policemen peace officers of these departments or organizations shall be the salary equal to the beginning salary of the same rank or grade in the full-time service with the city, town, volunteer fire department or private fire protection service organization, provided if there is no full-time equivalent then the salary equivalent shall be as determined by resolution of the governing body of the city, town or volunteer fire department or corporation. (e) Members of the department of public safety reserve, organized pursuant to section 41-1715, are deemed to be employees. For the purposes of this chapter, the basis for computing wages for premium payments and compensation benefits for a member of the department of public safety reserve who is a peace officer shall be the salary received by officers of the department of public safety for the officers' first month of regular duty as an officer. For members of the department of public safety reserve who are not peace officers, the basis for computing premiums and compensation benefits is $400 a month. (f) Any person placed in on-the-job evaluation or in on-the-job training under the department of economic security's temporary assistance for needy families program or vocational rehabilitation program shall be deemed to be an employee of the department for the purpose of coverage under the state workers' compensation laws only. The basis for computing premium payments and compensation benefits shall be $200 per month. Any person receiving vocational rehabilitation services under the department of economic security's vocational rehabilitation program whose major evaluation or training activity is academic, whether as an enrolled attending student or by correspondence, or who is confined to a hospital or penal institution, shall not be deemed to be an employee of the department for any purpose. (g) Regular members of a volunteer sheriff's reserve, which may be established by resolution of the county board of supervisors, to assist the sheriff in the performance of the sheriff's official duties. A roster of the current members shall monthly be certified to the clerk of the board of supervisors by the sheriff and shall not exceed the maximum number authorized by the board of supervisors. Certified members of an authorized volunteer sheriff's reserve shall be deemed to be employees of the county for the purpose of coverage under the Arizona workers' compensation laws and occupational disease disability laws and shall be entitled to receive the benefits of these laws for any compensable injuries or disabling conditions that arise out of and occur in the course of the performance of duties authorized and directed by the sheriff. Compensation benefits and premium payments shall be based on the salary received by a regular full-time deputy sheriff of the county involved for the first month of regular patrol duty as an officer for each certified member of a volunteer sheriff's reserve. This subdivision does not provide compensation coverage for any member of a sheriff's posse who is not a certified member of an authorized volunteer sheriff's reserve except as a participant in a search and rescue mission or a search and rescue training mission. (h) A working member of a partnership may be deemed to be an employee entitled to the benefits provided by this chapter on written acceptance, by endorsement, at the discretion of the insurance carrier for the partnership of an application for coverage by the working partner. The basis for computing premium payments and compensation benefits for the working partner shall be an assumed average monthly wage of not less than $600 or more than the maximum wage provided in section 23-1041 and is subject to the discretionary approval of the insurance carrier. Any compensation for permanent partial or permanent total disability payable to the partner is computed on the lesser of the assumed monthly wage agreed to by the insurance carrier on the acceptance of the application for coverage or the actual average monthly wage received by the partner at the time of injury. (i) The sole proprietor of a business subject to this chapter may be deemed to be an employee entitled to the benefits provided by this chapter on written acceptance, by endorsement, at the discretion of the insurance carrier of an application for coverage by the sole proprietor. The basis for computing premium payments and compensation benefits for the sole proprietor is an assumed average monthly wage of not less than $600 or more than the maximum wage provided by section 23-1041 and is subject to the discretionary approval of the insurance carrier. Any compensation for permanent partial or permanent total disability payable to the sole proprietor shall be computed on the lesser of the assumed monthly wage agreed to by the insurance carrier on the acceptance of the application for coverage or the actual average monthly wage received by the sole proprietor at the time of injury. (j) A member of the Arizona national guard, Arizona state guard or unorganized militia shall be deemed a state employee and entitled to coverage under the Arizona workers' compensation law at all times while the member is receiving the payment of the member's military salary from this state under competent military orders or on order of the governor. Compensation benefits shall be based on the monthly military pay rate to which the member is entitled at the time of injury, but not less than a salary of $400 per month or more than the maximum provided by the workers' compensation law. Arizona compensation benefits shall not inure to a member compensable under federal law. (k) Certified ambulance drivers and attendants who serve without pay or without full pay on a part-time basis are deemed to be employees and entitled to the benefits provided by this chapter and the basis for computing wages for premium payments and compensation benefits for certified ambulance personnel shall be $400 per month. (l) Volunteer workers of a licensed health care institution may be deemed to be employees and entitled to the benefits provided by this chapter on written acceptance by the insurance carrier of an application by the health care institution for coverage of such volunteers. The basis for computing wages for premium payments and compensation benefits for volunteers shall be $400 per month. (m) Personnel who participate in a search or rescue operation or a search or rescue training operation that carries a mission identifier assigned by the division of emergency management as provided in section 35-192.01 and who serve without compensation as volunteer state employees. The basis for computation of wages for premium purposes and compensation benefits is the total volunteer man-hours recorded by the division of emergency management in a given quarter multiplied by the amount determined by the appropriate risk management formula. (n) Personnel who participate in emergency management training, exercises or drills that are duly enrolled or registered with the division of emergency management or any political subdivision as provided in section 26-314, subsection C and who serve without compensation as volunteer state employees. The basis for computation of wages for premium purposes and compensation benefits is the total volunteer man-hours recorded by the division of emergency management or political subdivision during a given training session, exercise or drill multiplied by the amount determined by the appropriate risk management formula. (o) Regular members of the Arizona game and fish department reserve, organized pursuant to section 17-214. The basis for computing wages for premium payments and compensation benefits for a member of the reserve is the salary received by game rangers and wildlife managers of the Arizona game and fish department for the game rangers' and wildlife managers' first month of regular duty. (p) Every person employed pursuant to a professional employer agreement. (q) A working member of a limited liability company who owns less than fifty percent of the membership interest in the limited liability company. (r) A working member of a limited liability company who owns fifty percent or more of the membership interest in the limited liability company may be deemed to be an employee entitled to the benefits provided by this chapter on the written acceptance, by endorsement, of an application for coverage by the working member at the discretion of the insurance carrier for the limited liability company. The basis for computing wages for premium payments and compensation benefits for the working member is an assumed average monthly wage of $600 or more but not more than the maximum wage provided in section 23-1041 and is subject to the discretionary approval of the insurance carrier. Any compensation for permanent partial or permanent total disability payable to the working member is computed on the lesser of the assumed monthly wage agreed to by the insurance carrier on the acceptance of the application for coverage or the actual average monthly wage received by the working member at the time of injury. (s) A working shareholder of a corporation who owns less than fifty percent of the beneficial interest in the corporation. (t) A working shareholder of a corporation who owns fifty percent or more of the beneficial interest in the corporation may be deemed to be an employee entitled to the benefits provided by this chapter on the written acceptance, by endorsement, of an application for coverage by the working shareholder at the discretion of the insurance carrier for the corporation. The basis for computing wages for premium payments and compensation benefits for the working shareholder is an assumed average monthly wage of $600 or more but not more than the maximum wage provided in section 23-1041 and is subject to the discretionary approval of the insurance carrier. Any compensation for permanent partial or permanent total disability payable to the working shareholder is computed on the lesser of the assumed monthly wage agreed to by the insurance carrier on the acceptance of the application for coverage or the actual average monthly wage received by the working shareholder at the time of injury. 7. "First responder" means an employee of this state or a political subdivision of this state who provides emergency response services and includes any of the following: ( a ) A peace officer. ( b ) A firefighter as defined in section 9-500.47. ( c ) A paramedic as defined in section 36-2201. ( d ) An emergency medical care technician as defined in section 36-2201. ( e ) A public safety telecommunicator. 7. 8. "General order" means an order applied generally throughout this state to all persons under jurisdiction of the commission. 8. 9. "Heart-related or perivascular injury, illness or death" means myocardial infarction, coronary thrombosis or any other similar sudden, violent or acute process involving the heart or perivascular system, or any death resulting therefrom, and any weakness, disease or other condition of the heart or [Text truncated for display. Full text available on LegiScan.]