The Utah House resurrected and then passed a bill allowing public employees with mental disabilities to receive the same disability benefits as those with physical impairments.
HB105 from Rep. Brian King, D-Salt Lake City, creates a three-year pilot program offering full disability benefits for public employees who cannot work because of a mental disability. Current Utah law cuts off benefits for a mental disability after two years, while benefits for a physical disability may be extended.
“Do we believe that mental disabilities are just as real as physical disabilities?” Rep. Steve Eliason, R-Sandy, asked his colleagues. “Unfortunately, the world discriminates in many ways against people with mental illness, and it’s a stigma we’re trying to change.”
Read more at SLTrib.com.
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