Who else pays for this, when you cannot.
Cost is the reason most people who need this care never start it. For veterans and first responders in Missouri there are funding paths that most people, including most clinicians, have never heard of. Here they are, plainly, including the ones that have nothing to do with us.
PTSD is a covered work injury here. Most people do not know that.
RSMo 287.067, since August 2023.
Missouri made post-traumatic stress disorder a compensable occupational disease for first responders, with no physical injury required, when it follows one of the qualifying events the statute lists. Firefighters, police, sheriffs and deputies, EMS, and 911 dispatchers are all named in the law.
52 weeks, not 30 days.
Notice runs from the qualifying event or the diagnosis, whichever comes later, and the statute allows 52 weeks. That is far longer than the ordinary workers compensation deadline, and it is why a claim you assumed was too old may not be.
Up to $10,000 toward treatment.
The same law expanded a Missouri benefits pool to cover PTSD, with up to $10,000 available toward treatment. Eligibility and process are set by the pool and your employer's participation, not by us. Your department or local is where to start.
We are not lawyers and none of this is legal advice. Your union representative or a workers compensation attorney is the right person for your own claim. We are telling you it exists because too many people never hear it.
Places worth calling, whether or not you ever call us.
- Your local's peer support team. IAFF Local 2665 covers eight Missouri counties and runs an active peer support program. Most departments and locals have one, and it costs nothing.
- The VA. If you are enrolled, your VA mental health provider is the front door, and community care referrals exist for treatment the VA does not provide directly. Ask them directly what is available to you.
- First responder assistance organizations. Several Missouri nonprofits fund mental health care for responders and their families. Your local or your department chaplain usually knows which ones are real and currently funded.
- Your employer's EAP. Underused, confidential, and already paid for. It will not cover a full course of treatment, but it is a fast way to get seen and get a referral.
- 988. The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and there is a Veterans Crisis Line at 988 then press 1. Call or text, any hour.
No cost, no obligation, and we will point you elsewhere if that is the right answer.
Tell us your situation and a real person walks through which of these paths actually fits, including the ones that lead somewhere other than this clinic. No call center, no pressure, no sales script.
In crisis right now? Call or text 988. This form is not monitored for emergencies.
The questions everyone asks first.
Do you offer free treatment?
No. We do not run a free-care program, and we would rather tell you that plainly than let you find out later. What we can do is help you understand every path that might pay for treatment, including ones most people have never heard of, and be honest about which ones we can and cannot bill today.
I am a first responder. Is PTSD really covered as a work injury in Missouri?
Under Missouri law (RSMo 287.067, effective August 2023), post-traumatic stress disorder is a compensable occupational disease for first responders, with no physical injury required, when it follows one of the qualifying events the statute lists. Firefighters, police, sheriffs and deputies, EMS, and 911 dispatchers are all named. The notice window is 52 weeks from the qualifying event or the diagnosis, whichever is later, which is far longer than the usual 30 days. We are not lawyers and this is not legal advice. Talk to your union representative or a workers compensation attorney about your own situation.
What is the critical illness pool?
The same 2023 law expanded a Missouri benefits pool to cover PTSD, with up to $10,000 available toward treatment. Eligibility and the claim process are set by the pool and by your employer's participation in it, not by us. Your department or local is the right place to start.
Are you in network with my insurance?
Right now, no. We are not in network with TRICARE, Medicare or MO HealthNet, and we are pursuing participation. Commercial plans and self-pay are the paths available today. We tell you exactly where we stand with your specific plan, in writing, before anything is scheduled.
Can you help me figure out which of these applies to me?
Yes, and there is no cost or obligation for that conversation. Tell us your situation using the form on this page and a real person walks through the options with you, including the ones that lead somewhere other than here.