NVFC Priority Legislation Expanding PSOB to Certain Cancers Becomes Law

December 23, 2025

Last week President Trump signed the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Section 8205 of the NDAA contains The Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act, which broadens the eligibility for Public Safety Officer’s Benefits (PSOB) to those officers, including volunteer firefighters, who have been killed or permanently disabled by certain job-related cancers. The Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act has been strongly supported by the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) as a legislative priority, and its enactment is a huge policy victory for volunteer firefighters.

Specifically, The Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act expands eligibility for death, disability, and education benefits provided by the PSOB program to public safety officers (including firefighters) and their beneficiaries if an officer dies or becomes permanently and totally disabled as a direct result of a cancer covered under the bill. The bill lists 20 types of cancer in addition to those that are considered a World Trade Center-related health condition under section 3312(a) of the Public Health Service Act. It would apply retroactively to officers (firefighters) that meet the bill’s eligibility requirements and who die or become disabled on or after January 1, 2020. The bill also requires the Department of Justice to review the list of cancers covered by the bill at least once every three years.

“I applaud the leadership of Senators Klobuchar and Cramer along with Representatives Scanlon and Gimenez in getting The Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act signed into law,” said NVFC Chair Steve Hirsch. “This vital legislation will do a great deal to help the families of first responders who are too often left struggling after their loved ones are killed or permanently disabled after battles with occupation related cancer.”