N.J.S.A. 34:15-31.16 — Employer of first responders, 12 hours of paid confidential counseling.

34:15-31.16 Employer of first responders, 12 hours of paid confidential counseling. 2. a. An employer of first responders shall provide for up to 12 hours of paid confidential counseling compensable under the provisions of R.S.34:15-1 et seq. with a mental health professional to a first responder who experiences a critical incident in the course of the first responder�s employment related to the first responder�s experience of the critical incident. The counseling is in addition to, and separate from, any benefits already provided by an employer sponsored health plan or a group health insurance trust fund. The first responder shall be authorized to select the mental health professional who will conduct the counseling as provided by this subsection. b. If a mental health professional determines that the first responder would benefit from additional hours of licensed counseling beyond the initial 12 hours and that the additional hours of licensed counseling are likely to improve the first responder�s condition, the employer of the first responder shall pay for up to an additional 24 hours of licensed counseling. c. All hours of licensed counseling authorized under this section are required to be completed within one year after the first responder�s first visit to a mental health professional. d. The employer of the first responder shall not require the use of accrued annual or vacation leave, personal leave, sick leave, or any other paid leave if a counseling session scheduled pursuant to this section occurs during the first responder�s established work hours. L.2025, c.134, s.2.

This is the verbatim text of N.J.S.A. 34:15-31.16, retrieved from the New Jersey Legislature's public statute corpus. Statutes are amended periodically — for the most current version, check the external source link above. Kyzer is not a law firm and this page is not legal advice.