---
title: "Test a Queensland first-responder PTSD claim against the simplified pathway"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/personal-injury-and-compensation/test-a-first-responder-post-traumatic-stress-claim-against-any-presumpti/queensland"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A21-WC20261023-14-QLD"
practice_area: "Personal Injury & Compensation (workers compensation, CTP/TAC, medical negligence)"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["QLD"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-25"
---

# Test a Queensland first-responder PTSD claim against the simplified pathway

> From the role, the diagnosis, the claim date and any non-work cause, using a firm-controlled tool, table the simplified-pathway tests. Do not decide that the presumption applies.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/personal-injury-and-compensation/test-a-first-responder-post-traumatic-stress-claim-against-any-presumpti/queensland  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-25

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Personal Injury & Compensation (workers compensation, CTP/TAC, medical negligence)](https://ailawframework.com/practice/personal-injury-and-compensation.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| How AI is used | From the role, the diagnosis, the claim date and any non-work cause, using a firm-controlled tool, table the simplified-pathway tests. Do not decide that the presumption applies. |
| What the lawyer must review | Decide whether the presumption applies and whether evidence rebuts it. Use a psychiatrist's diagnosis as the diagnosis the pathway uses. Check 20 May 2021, the six-month lodgement note, and a Queensland work connection. Health and wage records stay in a firm-controlled tool. Apply ASCR r 9, APP 11, and the notifiable-breach test. |
| Written for | Queensland |
| Applies to | [Test a first-responder post-traumatic stress claim against any presumption](https://ailawframework.com/practice/personal-injury-and-compensation/test-a-first-responder-post-traumatic-stress-claim-against-any-presumpti.md) |

## Checking plan

**Verify against sources**

Diagnosed post-traumatic stress is presumed work-related unless there is evidence to the contrary, for a listed first responder or eligible employee, on a valid claim lodged on or after 20 May 2021. A general practitioner diagnosis is lodged and the insurer may arrange a psychiatrist. A private car accident or an assault outside work is the page's example of evidence that takes the claim off the pathway. Retired workers and workers in a new job can still claim, but the page still states six months from a doctor assessing a work-related injury. Interstate service is not enough unless the medical information supports a connection to Queensland work.

- What the AI does: From the role, the diagnosis, the claim date and any non-work cause, using a firm-controlled tool, table the simplified-pathway tests. Do not decide that the presumption applies.
- What the lawyer does: The lawyer decides the legal question, checks the sources, and authorises anything the family or the insurer will receive.
- Who reviews: Lawyer competent in statutory workers compensation
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 23 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Checks the lawyer makes

1. Match the role to the page's list. Do not add an occupation the page does not name.
2. Record the lodgement date against 20 May 2021 and the date a doctor assessed the injury.
3. Look for evidence the condition is not work-related before treating the presumption as unrebutted.
4. If the person is outside the list, say the page requires proof of the work connection and return to section 32.

## Notes

- No generative-AI practice note of the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission or the Industrial Court was opened. Apply the forum's current direction before a document is lodged.
- The page says a rejection can be reviewed by the Workers' Compensation Regulator. The review period is the one already used on the review task. It is not restated here.
- If health or wage records leave the firm-controlled tool, decide whether a Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) breach is notifiable.

## Practical guide

Jurisdiction: Queensland simplified pathway for first-responder post-traumatic stress

**Deliverable**: A pathway table: role, diagnosis, lodgement date, and any evidence against a work cause.

**Inputs**

- Role and employer
- Who diagnosed post-traumatic stress, and when
- Claim lodgement date
- Any account of a non-work cause

**Example**: Illustrative example: A retired firefighter, diagnosed by a general practitioner, wants to claim a year after leaving the service. The table records the psychiatrist step, the six-month note, and that retirement alone is not a bar. The lawyer decides whether the presumption is open.

**Stop and escalate when**

- The only medical diagnosis is not post-traumatic stress.
- The employment connection is wholly outside Queensland and no Queensland work is described.

Checked 2026-10-23.

## Sources

- [WorkSafe Queensland: simplified claims for first responders with PTSD](https://www.worksafe.qld.gov.au/workers-compensation/work-related-injuries/types-of-injury-or-illness/Psychological-injuries/simplified-workers-compensation-for-first-responders-with-ptsd) (checked 2026-10-23)
- [AustLII: Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003, section 32](https://www5.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/qld/consol_act/wcara2003400/s32.html) (checked 2026-10-23)

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*