Rep. Brennan: Ohio Must Also Support Workers Who Suffer Mental Health Injuries on the Job

COLUMBUS – State Rep. Sean Patrick Brennan (D–Parma) today responded to Governor Mike DeWine’s proposal to return an additional $1 billion in dividends to Ohio employers through the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC), saying that while financially responsible management of the system should be recognized, Ohio must also modernize its workers’ compensation laws to better support employees who experience work-related psychological trauma.

If approved, the latest dividend would bring the total returned to Ohio employers during the DeWine administration to more than $10.2 billion—an amount that exceeds what employers have paid into the system in workers’ compensation premiums since 2019.

“I appreciate that a strong and well-managed workers’ compensation system can return surplus funds to Ohio employers,” Rep. Brennan said. “Healthy businesses are essential to a strong economy, and many employers work hard to create safe workplaces. But we cannot overlook the workers who pay a different kind of price on the job.”

Under current Ohio law, workers generally cannot receive workers’ compensation benefits for a mental health injury unless it is accompanied by a compensable physical injury. That standard fails to recognize the realities faced by many Ohio workers, including first responders, health care professionals, teachers, construction workers, correctional officers, social workers, and others who may experience severe psychological trauma in the course of their jobs.

“We know far more today about mental health than we did decades ago,” Rep. Brennan continued. “A psychological injury, such as PTSD, anxiety, depression, and other work-related mental health injuries, can be just as real, just as debilitating, and just as deserving of treatment as a broken bone or other physical injury. Ohio’s laws should reflect that reality.”

The announcement of another employer dividend presents an opportunity to have a broader conversation about the future of Ohio’s workers’ compensation system and emphasized that his comments are not a criticism of Ohio employers, many of whom prioritize workplace safety and employee well-being.

“If our workers’ compensation system is financially healthy enough to return billions of dollars to employers, then it is also reasonable to ask whether we should be doing more for workers whose job-related injuries cannot be seen on an X-ray,” Rep. Brennan added. “No Ohioan should be denied access to mental health treatment simply because the injury they suffered is invisible.”

Rep. Brennan pledged to continue working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle, stakeholders, labor organizations, employers, and mental health advocates to explore reforms that would provide fair access to workers’ compensation benefits for employees who suffer legitimate work-related psychological injuries while maintaining the long-term financial stability of the BWC.

“Our workers’ compensation system should work for everyone,” Rep. Brennan concluded. “Supporting employers and supporting workers are not mutually exclusive goals. Ohio can and should do both.”