WASHINGTON, D.C. – Bipartisan legislation co-sponsored by Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) that will ensure families of public safety officers lost to COVID-19 can quickly access survivor benefits was recently signed into law. The Safeguarding America’s First Responders Act (SAFR) clarifies the certification requirements for survivor benefits under the Public Safety Officers Benefits Program to account for the unique challenges presented by the pandemic.
“As North Carolinians continue staying inside to keep themselves and their families safe from COVID-19, our brave first responders simply do not have that option,” said Senator Tillis. “Every day local law enforcement, school resource officers, and firefighters protect our communities, potentially exposing themselves to the virus, and unfortunately, some losing their battle with it. I will never stop fighting for our heroes, and I am proud to work with my colleagues across the aisle and get this legislation signed into law to ensure family members of every first responder lost to coronavirus has quick access to the benefits they deserve.”
The Public Safety Officers Benefits Program, administered by the Justice Department, provides death benefits to survivors of police officers and first responders who perish in the line of duty or as a result of a work-related event. It also provides disability benefits to those who are permanently disabled due to their work. The program requires evidence linking deaths or disabilities caused by an infectious disease to work-related activity. In many cases, the origin of an infection can be easily identified, but determining where and when someone contracts COVID-19 in the midst of a global pandemic presents a unique challenge.
SAFR works to overcome this challenge by establishing a temporary presumption that COVID-19 infections will be considered to be contracted while on duty if diagnosed within 45 days of an officer’s last shift. The legislation ensures that families of officers and first responders lost or disabled while fighting the pandemic don’t face unnecessary barriers to benefits they’ve already been promised.
Read the full text of the bill here.
###
