WASHINGTON, D.C. -- President Donald Trump on Friday signed legislation into law ensuring Public Safety Officers Benefits (PSOB) to the families of law enforcement officers and other first responders who die from COVID-19.
S. 3607- the "Safeguarding America's First Responders Act," introduced by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ), established a statutory presumption that law enforcement officers and other first responders who die or become disabled from COVID-19 or complications related to COVID-19 did so because they sustained a personal injury in the line of duty, provided that the officers engaged in the line-of-duty actions between Jan. 1, 2001 and Dec. 31, 2021.
Patrick Yoes, National President of the Fraternal Order of Police, applauded the signing of S. 3607 - the "Safeguarding America's First Responders Act" into law.
"We knew at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic that law enforcement officers on the frontlines would be increasingly vulnerable to contracting the virus," Yoes said in a statement. "We are sad to report that as of today, 195 law enforcement officers have died in the line of duty due to COVID-19. But thanks to those who worked to get this law passed, the families of these officers will be eligible for PSOB death and disability benefits."
Before the legislation was passed, family members of officers who died from the coronavirus was required to prove that the exposure occurred in the line of duty.
"The law will codify and strengthen the existing guidance from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, which we were able to secure with the help of the President and the Attorney General back in April," Yoes said. "This new law will ensure that these officers and their that these officers and their families, who were not able to 'stay at home' during this crisis, will be taken care of in the event they are disabled and unable to continue to serve as law enforcement officers."
Booker said that first responders never hesitate to answer the call, and that the country must always be will to answer theirs.
"While this pandemic has changed daily life for so many Americans, our brave first responders have continued to put their lives on the line to protect our communities – and they’ve done so at significantly increased risk to themselves and to their families," Booker said in a statement. "We have lost far too many first responders to COVID-19, and their families will now without question receive the federal benefits they deserve in their time of unimaginable loss."
Senator Grassley said that SAFR ensures that families of fallen public safety officers and first responders can quickly access the aid they’ve been promised.
“The ongoing pandemic has increased the risk that America’s police officers and first responders face every day to keep our communities safe and healthy. Sadly, some have contracted COVID-19 while on the job and succumbed to the virus," he said in a statement. "Losing a first responder in the line of duty is always devastating. Families of those lost to COVID-19 shouldn’t face an uphill struggle to access financial support promised to them."
"We recognize that there is no legislation grant, or government program that will end the sad fact that law enforcement officers will die in the line of duty, but we can ensure that every sacrifice, every loss of every family is treated the same," Yoes said. "We share their grief and honor their memory."
The Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program provides death benefits to the eligible survivors of public safety officers who are fatally injured in the line of duty, disability benefits to public safety officers catastrophically injured in the line of duty, and education benefits to the eligible spouses and children of fallen and catastrophically injured officers.
The amount of the PSOB benefit is $365,670.00 for deaths and disabilities occurring on or after October 1, 2019 while the amount of the PSOB educational assistance benefit per month of fulltime attendance on or after October 1, 2019 is $1,248.00.
For questions regarding the PSOB Program or filing a claim, visit PSOB’s online portal at www.psob.gov, or email the PSOB Director at [email protected].
