Bill Expands Benefits for Responders Disabled or Killed on Job

A bipartisan bill to improve the federal benefits for firefighters and other first responders killed or disabled on the job has been reintroduced to Congress.

The Protecting America’s First Responders Act (PAFRA) of 2021—which was reintroduced by Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-NJ)—bolsters the Department of Justice's Public Safety Officer Benefits (PSOB) program. Under that program, first responders who die or are permanently disabled in the line of duty can receive $370,000 in federal benefits and $1,200 in monthly education assistance for their children or spouse.

But as the program is currently structured, first responders permanently disabled on the job are only eligible if they can't perform any compensated work. The proposed measure would include disabled first responders whose work is for therapeutic purposes, involves simple tasks or provides special accommodations. Retroactive disability benefits also would be possible for Sept. 11, 2001.

The bill has been endorsed by the International Association of Fire Chiefs and the National Volunteer Fire Council, as well as several national organizations representing law enforcement. 

“PAFRA makes important improvements to the process by which public safety officers are able to access the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) Disability Program," Steven Hirsch, the chair of the NVFC, said in a statement. "It also makes necessary changes to how PSOB claims are paid to the survivors of public safety officers who died of occupational illnesses related to work at Ground Zero after 9/11. Finally, I am very pleased that the PAFRA includes language clarifying that members of volunteer fire departments who perform scene security and traffic management duties at emergency scenes are public safety officers.”

An overview and a specific breakdown of the Protecting America’s First Responders Act of 2021 can be found on Pascrell's website.