Congress Passes Bill to Increase PSOB Payment

WASHINGTON, DC - On Oct 25, the United States Congress voted to significantly increase the one-time federal payment to the families of public safety officers killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty. The provision, included as part of the anti-terorism bill (H.R. 3162) that will give law enforcement officials new powers to track suspected terrorists, increases the Public Safety Officers Benefit (PSOB) to $250,000 from $150,000. President Bush is expected to immediately sign the bill into law.

 

"We are very pleased that Congress has acted to ensure that the families of our fallen brothers and sisters will be better taken care of," said NVFC Chairman Philip C. Stittleburg. "On average, half of all firefighters killed in the line of duty are volunteers and many of their families depend on the PSOB benefit to survive."

 

Legislation to raise the PSOB benefit was originally introduced as the Frances Collender Public Safety Officers' Benefit Improvement Act (S. 899) by Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE). Senators George Allen (R-VA) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) were also original cosponsors. The legislation, named after a Delaware State Trooper killed in the line of duty earlier this year, was strongly supported by the NVFC.

 

The Public Safety Officers' Benefits 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 sustained in the line of duty. Disability benefits are also provided to public safety officers who have been totally disabled in the line of duty by a catastrophic injury, if that injury prevents them from performing gainful work. The FY 2000 benefit is $151,635. Since 1977, on average, the PSOB Program has received 275 benefit claims each year for line of duty deaths of public safety officers.

 

The increase was made retroactive to January 1, 2001 to include the families of firefighters who were lost in the September 11th attack.