Mental Health of Police Officers Challenged by Insurance Practices

A former NSW Police officer with post-traumatic stress disorder, Adam Watts, faced a year-long battle with his force's insurer, Employers Mutual Limited, over a $6,000 surgery bill related to his Graves' disease.

EML declined the claim, citing a strong family history of hyperthyroidism, despite a doctor's note suggesting that stress and anxiety from Mr. Watts's police work could have triggered his condition. The insurance company's case relied on a doctor's opinion who never consulted Mr.

Watts, leading to the Personal Injury Commission siding with him after finding an unbroken chain of evidence linking his PTSD to his Graves' disease. The commission criticized EML's argument as brief and unsupported, ultimately ordering them to cover the surgery cost.

Mr. Watts expressed that the ordeal pushed him to his breaking point, highlighting systemic issues in how mental health is assessed within law enforcement. Psychological injury claims made up 74 percent of NSW Police's compensation costs from mid-2019 to mid-2024, totaling $1.75 billion.

Workers' compensation lawyer Shane Butcher noted that former officers often face barriers in the compensation process that compound their existing psychological injuries and emphasized the need for a system that truly supports their recovery and reintegration.