Section 5119.75
(A) The Ohio post-traumatic stress fund commission is created within the department of behavioral health for the purpose of administering the state post-traumatic stress fund created under section 5119.74 of the Revised Code. The commission consists of the following members:
(1) The director of budget and management or the director's designee, who shall be a nonvoting member;
(2) The director of behavioral health or the director's designee;
(3) The administrator of workers' compensation or the administrator's designee;
(4) One member representing firefighters who shall be a member in good standing of the Ohio association of professional firefighters appointed by the president of the senate;
(5) One member representing peace officers who shall be a member in good standing of a fraternal organization representing law enforcement officers appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;
(6) One member who is a mental health professional appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate.
(B) The director of behavioral health shall serve as the chairperson of the commission.
(C) The governor, president of the senate, and speaker of the house of representatives shall appoint the initial appointed members of the commission not later than ninety days after the effective date of this section. Of the initial appointments to the commission, the governor's appointee shall serve a term ending one year after the effective date of this section, the speaker's appointee shall serve a term ending two years after that date, and the president's appointee shall serve a term ending three years after that date. After the initial appointed members' terms, each appointed member's term shall be for four years, ending on the same day of the same month as the term that it succeeds. A member may be reappointed to the commission.
Each member shall hold office from the date of appointment until the end of the term for which the member was appointed. Vacancies shall be filled in the manner provided for original appointments. A member appointed to fill a vacancy before the expiration of a term shall hold office for the remainder of that term. A member shall continue in office subsequent to the expiration of the term until the member's successor takes office.
(D) The members of the commission shall not be compensated but shall be reimbursed for actual expenses reasonably incurred in the performance of their duties as members.
(E) A majority of the commission's voting members constitutes a quorum. Except as provided in this division, an affirmative vote of a majority of the voting members present at a meeting at which a quorum is present is necessary for the authorization or taking of any action voted on by the members. A majority of the voting members present at a meeting, whether or not a quorum is present, may adjourn the meeting.
(F) The director of behavioral health shall provide staff services, office space, and equipment to the commission to enable the commission to successfully and efficiently perform its duties.
(G)(1) The commission shall adopt, in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, rules to implement and administer sections 5119.74 to 5119.78 of the Revised Code, including rules that do both of the following:
(a) Establish a procedure for a public safety officer to apply for the reimbursement described in section 5119.77 of the Revised Code;
(b) Identify documents an individual shall submit with the individual's application demonstrating the types of treatment the individual received for a post-traumatic stress injury, the amount of treatment paid for by an insurance plan, and the out-of-pocket expenses the individual incurred for treatment.
(2) The commission may adopt the rules required under this section regardless of whether adopting these rules will cause the state to exceed the cap in regulatory restrictions under section 121.953 of the Revised Code.
(H) Beginning on the date that is one year after the effective date of this section, and every year thereafter, the commission shall submit a report to the governor and the general assembly. In the report, the commission shall explain all of the following:
(1) The extent to which the fund is being utilized by public safety officers;
(2) The health and employment outcomes of public safety officers who utilize the fund;
(3) The fund's solvency;
(4) Proposed statutory changes necessary to further the state's interest in assisting public safety officers who sustain post-traumatic stress injuries in the course of, and arising out of, their employment, including whether the fund should be continued, expanded, or modified.
Last updated July 9, 2026 at 10:06 AM
Available Versions of this Section
- September 23, 2026 – Enacted by House Bill 479 - 136th General Assembly [ View September 23, 2026 Version ]