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Family Benefits

Iowa Survivor Benefits

Updated July 2021 (COVID-19 related benefits updated April 2021)

COVID-19 BENEFITS

PSOB benefits are available in any State of the U.S., the District of Columbia, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands of the U.S., Guam, American Samoa, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and any territory or possession of the U.S.

ONE-TIME DEATH BENEFITS

Career Firefighters: See below under Pension benefits; includes benefits for certain presumptive cancers and infectious diseases. Volunteer emergency services provider death benefit: Benefit of $100,000 if death is the direct result of a traumatic personal injury incurred in the line of duty. Volunteer firefighters: Annual appropriations to pay death benefit for volunteer firefighters and emergency responders if determined eligible by the Department of Public Safety. If the death of a volunteer emergency services provider is the direct and proximate result of a heart attack or stroke, it will be presumed to be the result of a traumatic personal injury if the provider engaged in a non-routine stressful or strenuous physical activity within the scope of the provider’s duties. The death must have resulted while engaging in that activity, while still on duty after engaging in that activity or not later than 24 hours after engaging in that activity, presuming that medical evidence is not to the contrary.

Contact: State Fire Marshal’s Office Department of Public Safety 215 E. 7th Street Des Moines, IA 50319-0047 Phone: (515) 725-6145 Fax: (515) 725-6140 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.dps.state.ia.us

Reference: Iowa Code 100B.31 – Does not apply to career members

COMPENSATION FOR DEATH OR DISABILITY OF FIREFIGHTERS FROM OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES

Coverage includes cancer & infectious diseases for the purposes of determining disability retirement.

Contact: See below, Retirement and Pension

WORKERS' COMPENSATION

Benefit is 80% of worker’s final compensation for surviving spouse or spouse with children. Spouse receives two-year lump sum amount upon remarriage if there are no children. Children receive benefits until age 18 or longer if disabled and incapable of self-support, or until 25 if full-time student. Volunteer firefighters: Computation based on what the firefighter would have received if injured in the normal cause of regular employment or an amount equal to 140% of state average weekly wage, whichever is greater.

Contact: Iowa Division of Workers’ Compensation 150 Des Moines Street Des Moines, IA 50309-1836 Phone: (800) 645-4583 Toll-Free: (800) 645-4583 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.iowaworkcomp.gov

Reference: IA Workers’ Comp Law

FUNERAL BENEFIT

When death ensues from the injury, the employer shall pay the reasonable expenses of burial of such employee, not to exceed twelve times the statewide average weekly wage paid employees as determined by the department of workforce development.

Contact:
Iowa Division of Workers’ Compensation
1000 East Grand Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50319-0209
Phone: (515) 725-4120
Toll-Free: (800) 645-4583
Website: www.iowaworkcomp.gov

Reference: Iowa Code W Comp § 85.28

RETIREMENT/PENSION PLAN

Career firefighters: For accidental death in the line of duty, spousal benefit is 50% of average final compensation, plus for each child, a benefit equal to 6% of the compensation payable to an active member holding the highest grade in the rank. Annual readjustment of pensions. Any heart, lung, respiratory tract disease, cancer (prostate, brain, breast, ovarian, cervical, uterine, malignant melanoma, leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, bladder, colorectal, multiple myeloma, testicular, kidney), or infectious disease (HIV, AIDS, hepatitis, meningococcal meningitis, and mycobacterium tuberculosis) is presumed to have been contracted in the line-of-duty. A single lump-sum payment may be substituted for a pension equally $100,000.

Contact:
Municipal Fire and Police Retirement System of Iowa (MFPRSI)
7155 Lake Drive, Suite 201
West Des Moines 50266
Phone: (515) 254-9200
Toll free: (888) 254-9200
Website: www.mfprsi.org

ReferenceMunicipal Fire and Police Retirement System of Iowa Benefit Handbook; Pages 14-19

EDUCATION BENEFIT - CHILDREN

Contact Iowa colleges and universities for grant opportunities.

EDUCATION BENEFIT - SPOUSE

Contact Iowa colleges and universities for grant opportunities.

NON-PROFIT OR PRIVATE ORGANIZATIONS

Kids’ Chance Minnesota/Iowa
SFM Foundation P.O. Box 9447 Minneapolis, MN 55440-9447 Phone: (855) 621-2076 Fax: (952) 838-2009 Website: www.sfmfoundation.com Provides scholarship support to children whose family has experiences a catastrophic tragedy
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
P.O. Box 498 Emmitsburg, MD 21727 Phone: (301) 4471-1365 FAX: (301) 4471-1645 Website: www.firehero.org The Sarbanes Scholarship Program Spouses, life partners, children, and stepchildren of firefighters honored at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial are eligible to apply for the NFFF Sarbanes Scholarship Program along with other partner programs. The NFFF Sarbanes Scholarships are awarded for undergraduate and graduate studies, vocational-technical training, and certification and job training programs. They may be used for study at in-state or out-of-state public and private schools.
The International Association of Fire Fighters
1750 New York Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20006 Website: client.prod.iaff.org/#contentid=1743 The W. H. “Howie” McClennan scholarship provides financial assistance for sons, daughters or legally adopted children of IAFF Union Members killed in the line of duty planning to attend a university, accredited college or other institution of higher learning. Scholarship amount is $2,500 per year, renewable up to 4 consecutive years.

FUNERAL & CREMATION BENEFITS

Dignity Memorial
Phone: (800) 343-4464
Website: www.dignitymemorial.com

Dignity Memorial is a consortium of funeral, cremation and cemetery providers across the United States and Canada. They have a Public Servants Program for first responders and emergency services workers. Dignity provides these services, at no cost, for career and volunteer firefighters who are killed in the line of duty. Also provides “extended counseling” to the grieving family. There is a location finder per state on the website, and funeral directors are encouraged to contact Dignity regarding the first responder program.

Wilbert Funeral Services, Inc.
2913 Gardner Road
Broadview, IL 50155
Phone: (708) 681-7040 (Terry Whitlock)
Website: www.wilbert.com

Wilbert provides complimentary burial vaults (including urns vaults) for fallen law enforcement officers and firefighters through 193 licensee locations. Funeral directors should contact Wilbert for information on obtaining vaults.

DisclaimerThe material contained in the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Survivor Benefits website is not the result of legal research, but rather is based on a scan of public documents. We have made every effort to be accurate and timely, but errors may exist. The material on this website is advisory only and should not be cited as evidence or proof that a benefit exists or that our facts are accurate. Always consult the decedent’s fire department for benefits assistance, or a benefits’ attorney. If, in the course of your own research, you see errors of fact, or new benefit information, please pass this information along to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.