16.571: Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program

16.571

Active

Office of Justice Programs (OJP) [DOJ]

Aug. 2, 2022

Aug. 2, 2022

To provide death benefits to the eligible survivors of federal, state, or local public safety officers whose deaths are the direct and proximate result of a personal (traumatic) injury sustained in the line of duty. Effective November 29, 1990, the Act also provides the same benefit to a public safety officer who has been permanently and totally disabled as the direct result of a catastrophic personal injury sustained in the line of duty. The injury must permanently prevent the officer from performing any gainful work.

D - Direct Payments with Unrestricted Use

Public safety officer means-- (A) an individual serving a public agency in an official capacity, with or without compensation, as a law enforcement officer, as a firefighter, or as a chaplain; (B) an employee of the Federal Emergency Management Agency who is performing official duties of the Agency in an area, if those official duties— (i) are related to a major disaster or emergency that has been, or is later, declared to exist with respect to the area under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act; and (ii) are determined by the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to be hazardous duties; (C) an employee of a State, local, or tribal emergency management or civil defense agency who is performing official duties in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency in an area, if those official duties— (i) are related to a major disaster or emergency that has been, or is later, declared to exist with respect to the area under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act; and (ii) are determined by the head of the agency to be hazardous duties; (D) a member of a rescue squad or ambulance crew who, as authorized or licensed by law and by the applicable agency or entity, is engaging in rescue activity or in the provision of emergency medical services. (E) an individual appointed to the National Disaster Medical System under section 300hh-11 of Title 42 who is performing official duties of the Department of Health and Human Services, if those official duties are— (i) related to responding to a public health emergency or potential public health emergency, or other activities for which the Secretary of Health and Human Services has activated such National Disaster Medical System; and (ii) determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to be hazardous, and (F) an employee or contractor of the Department of Energy who—(i) is--(I) a nuclear materials courier (as defined in section 8331(27) of Title 5); or (II) designated by the Secretary of Energy as a member of an emergency response team; and (ii) is performing official duties of the Department, pursuant to a deployment order issued by the Secretary, to protect the public, property, or the interests of the United States by--(I) assessing, locating, identifying, securing, rendering safe, or disposing of weapons of mass destruction (as defined in section 2302 of Title 50); or (II) managing the immediate consequences of a radiological release or exposure. Disabled public safety officers and eligible survivors of deceased public safety officers in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Pacific Trust Territories and the Northern Mariana Islands are also eligible for benefits under the Act. Death benefit coverage for (1) state and local law enforcement officers and firefighters applies to fatal injuries occurring on or after September 29, 1976; (2) federal law enforcement officers and firefighters applies to fatal injuries occurring on or after October 12, 1984; (3) federal, state, and local rescue squad and ambulance crew members applies to fatal injuries occurring on or after October 15, 1986; (4) members of certain nonprofit rescue squads and ambulance crews applies to fatal injuries occurring on or after June 1, 2009; (5) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) personnel and state, local, and tribal emergency management and civil defense agency employees applies to fatal injuries occurring on or after October 30, 2000; (6) National Disaster Medical System appointees applies to fatal injuries occurring on or after June 24, 2019, and before October 1, 2021; and (7) Department of Energy employee or contractors applies to fatal injuries occurring on or after January 21, 2021. Disability benefit coverage for federal, state, and local law enforcement officers, firefighters and members of public rescue squads and ambulance crews applies to injuries sustained on or after November 29, 1990. FEMA personnel and state, local, and tribal emergency management and civil defense agency employees are covered for such injuries sustained on or after October 30, 2000. Disability benefit coverage for federal, state, and local law enforcement officers, firefighters and members of public rescue squads and ambulance crews applies to injuries sustained on or after November 29, 1990. FEMA personnel and state, local, and tribal emergency management and civil defense agency employees are covered for such injuries sustained on or after October 30, 2000 and Chaplains as of September 11, 2001. As of January 2, 2013, disability benefit coverage for members of public agency and certain nonprofit rescue squads and ambulance crews applies to injuries sustained on or after June 1, 2009; for injuries sustained between June 29, 1990, and June 1, 2009, disability benefit coverage extends only to members of public agency rescue squads and ambulance crews. Disability benefit coverage for National Disaster Medical System appointees applies to injuries occurring on or after June 24, 2019, and before October 1, 2021; coverage for Department of Energy employee or contractors applies to injuries occurring on or after January 21, 2021.

The Public Safety Officers' Benefits (PSOB) Act, enacted in 1976, was designed to offer peace of mind to men and women seeking careers in public safety and to make a strong statement about the value American society places on the contributions of those who serve their communities in potentially dangerous circumstances. 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 sustained in the line of duty. The benefit is determined by the date of the fatal or totally and permanently disabling injury and is adjusted annually for inflation. A table with the annually adjusted amounts is contained here: https://www.psob.gov/benefits_by_year.html

16.615 - Public Safety Officers' Educational Assistance

16.575 - Crime Victim Assistance

16.576 - Crime Victim Compensation

https://sam.gov/fal/35402851340348ee97a35f6d26f4d7cd/view