#135- "Shot Four Times, Then Forced to Fight Workers’ Comp" with Jaclyn Skinner

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of the Blue Grit Podcast, we sit down with Wood County Sgt. Jaclyn Skinner, whose life changed the moment she walked into a cluttered house to serve a warrant.Inside, she spotted a familiar tattoo through a partially open shower curtain.Then gunfire erupted.Sgt. Skinner was shot four times. In the middle of the chaos, she fought to survive and helped get her partner out alive.But the shooting was only the beginning.What came next was a brutal recovery, delayed treatment approvals, denied equipment, and a Texas workers’ compensation system that forced an injured officer to fight for the care she clearly needed.Joining this episode are John Wilkerson and Bryan Flatt from the Texas FOP and TMPA legislative team.Together, they break down why the system continues to fail injured first responders, how utilization reviews and contested case hearings can delay care, and why officers often cannot simply use their regular health insurance when workers’ comp stalls.They also explain the legislative fight to fix the system, including how a widely supported reform can pass the House and still die in the Senate.This conversation goes beyond one shooting.It exposes the physical, mental, and financial toll injured officers face after the headlines fade. We discuss PTSD, peer support, rural agency staffing, confidentiality concerns, and why fear of being labeled can keep officers from getting help.The message is simple:Getting shot should not be followed by getting denied.Injured officers should not have to battle the system after surviving the streets.And every officer who believes, “If I get hurt, they’ll take care of me,” needs to hear this episode.Hit play now. Subscribe, share this with a coworker, and help make sure injured officers are never left to fight alone.Support the showemail us at- [email protected]