About PSOB:

Enacted in 1976, the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) Act (codified at 42 U.S.C. 3796, et seq.):

• Assists in the recruitment and retention of qualified public safety officers.

• Establishes the value that communities place on contributions from those who are willing to serve their communities during potentially dangerous circumstances.

• Offers peace of mind to men and women who are seeking careers in public safety.

The PSOB Program provides death benefits in the form of a one-time financial payment 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 or certain eligible heart attacks or strokes. As of October 1, 2007, the benefit amount is $303,064. Since October 15, 1988, the benefit has been adjusted each year on October 1 to reflect the percentage of change in the Consumer Price Index. For each death and disability claim, the award amount is solely determined by the actual date of the officer's death or disability.

The PSOB Program provides disability benefits for public safety officers who have been permanently and totally disabled by a catastrophic injury sustained in the line of duty if that injury permanently prevents the officer from performing any gainful work. Medical retirement for a line-of-duty disability does not, in and of itself, establish eligibility for PSOB benefits.

The PSOB Program includes the Public Safety Officers' Educational Assistance (PSOEA) Act. This act expands on the former Federal Law Enforcement Dependents Assistance Program to provide financial assistance for higher education for the spouses and children of federal, state, and local public safety officers who have been permanently disabled or killed in the line of duty. Educational assistance through the PSOEA Program is only available to the spouse or children of a public safety officer after the PSOB death or disability claim process has been completed and benefits have been awarded. The educational assistance may be used to defray relevant expenses, including tuition and fees, room and board, books, supplies, and other education-related costs. As of October 1, 2006, the maximum award for a full-time student is $860 per month of class attendance. All PSOEA awards must, by law, be reduced by the amount of other governmental assistance that a student is eligible to receive.

As defined by Congress in Public Law 90-351 (Sec. 1217), a public safety officer is an individual serving a public agency in an official capacity, with or without compensation, as a law enforcement officer, firefighter, or member of a rescue squad or ambulance crew. In October 2000, Public Law 106-390 (Sec. 305) designated employees of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as public safety officers under the PSOB Act if they were performing official, hazardous duties related to a declared major disaster or emergency. The legislation also indicated that state, local, or tribal emergency management or civil defense agency employees working in cooperation with FEMA are, under the same circumstances, considered public safety officers under the PSOB Act. Retroactive to September 11, 2001, chaplains also are included in the PSOB Act definition of a public safety officer.

The PSOB office works with national-level police and firefighter groups to provide visibility and emotional support to this unique constituency. Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS), Inc., provides services and assistance for families and coworkers of fallen law enforcement officers during the annual National Police Week program. They also provide regional training sessions and several special seminars and extended programs for spouses, siblings, and children of slain officers. The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation provides peer counseling, training, and technical assistance for the families and coworkers of firefighters who were killed in the line of duty. Some of their specific activities include developing and disseminating publications and reference materials for survivors and senior fire department managers and creating a public awareness strategy to promote the fire service and its critical role in public safety.

Attorney Fee Information

If a representative (such as an attorney) has provided any services in connection with a claim, the representative must obtain authorization pursuant to 28 CFR Sec. 32.7 before seeking any compensation whatsoever for such services from the claimant. See 42 U.S.C. Sec. 3796c(a).