Officer Ashley Wilson, to the left of Gov. Kemp, during the memorial that honored her fallen colleague.
Governor Kemp signed HB 451, the Ashley Wilson Act, at a signing ceremony on May 1 at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth. The new law takes effect January 1, 2025. It provides critical illness and long-term disability benefits for first responders diagnosed with PTSD arising from their work for Georgia governments.
GMA congratulates Sergeant Ashley Wilson for her courage and persistence in bringing about this law. “PTSD is treatable, and this law provides critical support to help first responders get and complete treatment. Thanks to treatment, I am a better police officer, wife, and friend than I was before I got PTSD.”
You can learn more about Sergeant Wilson’s powerful story in the video below.
The Georgia First Responder PTSD Program collaborated with the Department of Public Safety's Office of Public Safety Support to develop this fictional video to raise awareness about two important resources for Georgia first responders: confidential peer counseling and confidential occupational PTSD benefits.
Marco is a newly certified peer counselor who has recovered from job-related PTSD. He is excited to spread the word about the new benefits available under the Ashley Wilson Act.
Resources
- Suicide/Crisis Hotline - 988
- Office of Public Safety Support
- Your Medical Plan: Call the phone number on the back of your ID card and ask for help finding a psychologist, psychiatrist, or physician certified in a specialty appropriate for trauma related mental health diagnoses.
- PTSD Benefits Information:
The Georgia First Responder Program benefits meet the requirements of the Ashley Wilson Act.
This video may be shared in its entirety without alteration.
@ Georgia Municipal Association, Inc. and Association of County Commissioners of Georgia, 2025.
Note: The above animated video contains text-to-voice AI.