For detailed information on the Public Safety Officers' Benefits Act,
please visit the PSOB Website.

Recent Changes to PSOB The PSOB Program provides a one-time financial benefit to the eligible survivors of public safety officers whose deaths are the direct and proximate result of a traumatic injury, heart attack or stroke sustained in the line of duty. The payment is adjusted each year on October 1 to reflect the percentage of change in the Consumer Price Index. As of October 1, 2011, the benefit amount is $323,035.75. The Hometown Heroes Survivors Benefits Act of 2003 amended the PSOB Act to include public safety officers who died in the line of duty as a direct and proximate result of a heart attack or stroke under certain conditions. This provision only covers deaths occurring on or after December 15, 2003. The Mychal Judge Police and Fire Chaplains Public Safety Officers' Benefits Act of 2002, retroactive to September 11, 2001, amended the PSOB Act of 1976 in the following ways: added chaplains to the definition of "public safety officers" defined chaplain as any individual serving as an officially recognized or designated member of a legally organized volunteer fire department or legally organized fire or police department who was responding to a fire, rescue, or police emergency stipulated that if the public safety officer had no surviving spouse or eligible children, the beneficiary would be the individual designated as the beneficiary on the officer's most recently executed life insurance policy. Prior to this change, parents were the next level of beneficiary if there were no spouse or eligible children.

The Public Safety Officers' Benefits Act of 1976, as amended, authorizes the Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, to pay a benefit to specified survivors of public safety officers found to have died as the direct and proximate result of a personal, traumatic injury involving external force sustained in the line of duty, and to claimant public safety officers found to have been permanently and totally disabled as the direct result of a catastrophic injury sustained in the line of duty.

On December 15, 2003, President Bush signed the Hometown Heroes Survivors Benefits Act. The law expands the Federal benefit to include heart attacks or strokes while engaged in nonroutine stressful or strenuous emergency response or strensous physical activity. The law also includes deaths while still on duty after such duties or within 24 hours. The new law applies to deaths from December 15, 2003, forward and is not retroactive.

Due to the unprecedented loss of life by public safety officers on September 11, 2001, Congress increased the one time payment to $250,000, retroactive for all eligible deaths on or after January 1, 2001. The payment is adjusted each year on October 1 to reflect the percentage of change in the Consumer Price Index. As of October 1, 2011, the benefit amount is $323,035.75.

A public safety officer is defined to be any individual serving a public agency in an official capacity, with or without compensation, as a law enforcement officer, police, corrections, probation, parole and judicial officer, firefighter, rescue squad member or ambulance crew member. Retroactive to September 11, 2001, chaplains are included in the definition of a public safety officer.

A public agency means an agency of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and any territory or possession of the United States, or any unit of State or local government. Seasonal wildland firefighters are included in this definition.

The death benefit is payable in a lump sum to the spouse and eligible children of a deceased public safety officer. One half of the benefit would be paid to the spouse, and one half of the benefit would be paid, in equal amounts, to the eligible children. Eligible children are defined as children 18 years of age or younger, children 19 through 22 years of age who are fulltime students, and children 19 years of age or over and incapable of self support because of a physical or mental disability.

The death benefit is payable to a qualified survivor of a Federal employee in addition to death benefits payable to the survivor from the Civil Service Retirement System, the Federal Employees Retirement System, and Department of Labor's Office of Workers' Compensation Program under subchapter I of chapter 81 of title 5, United States Code.

Amendments to the Act in 2002 changed the hierarchy for benefits. If there is no surviving spouse or children eligible for the benefit, the payment will go to the person designated in the most recently executed life insurance policy, if that person survives the fallen public safety officer. Previously, the parents of a fallen firefighter received the benefit if there were no surviving spouse or eligible children.

Immediately after the fatality The department/agency must: Notify the family. Secure the scene. Begin an investigation of the incident. Make arrangements for an autopsy. Identify a department member to serve as a liaison between the department/agency and the PSOB office. Immediately after being named the department's liaison The liaison must: Call PSOB staff at 1-888-744-6513. Provide accurate, up-to-date information including these items: Fire department/agency name Liaison's name Phone numbers for the department/agency and the liaison A fax number or mailing address so PSOB can send the claim initiation guidance letter Deceased firefighter's name Date of incident and date of death A brief description of the incident Relay the information very carefully and include only what is known. Do not speculate on the cause of death if you do not know it. On evenings, weekends, and holidays, leave a phone message with the liaison's name and telephone numbers. PSOB responds After receiving the call, PSOB will fax or mail a "Claims Guidance Package" to the department liaison as soon as possible. The package will include: Claim initiation guidance letter Report of Public Safety Officer's Death form Claim for Death Benefits form Consent to Release Confidential Information form PSOB Act After receiving the Claims Guidance Package The department liaison should: Meet with the claimant (the immediate next-of-kin) and together complete the Claim for Death Benefits and the Report of Public Safety Officer's Death forms. Assure that the family provides a copy of the death notice. Gather the other documentation requested in the claim initiation guidance letter. Submit completed forms and all supporting documents to PSOB as soon as possible. After the PSOB specialist receives the documentation He or she will: Reviews the package. May contact the department liaison and/or family if further information is needed. Submits unresolved medical questions to an independent physician for review. PSOB staff evaluate the file They will prepare a determination which is routed for review by staff and the Office of General Counsel. If the claim is approved The PSOB office will send a letter notifying the claimant and the department of the decision on the claim. If the claim is denied The PSOB Specialist will: Send a letter notifying the claimant and the department of the denial of the claim. Provide information on the appeals process.

For detailed information on the Public Safety Officers' Benefits Act,
please visit the PSOB Website.