Should There Be Death & Permanent Disability Benefits for Public Safety Officers Who Get Coronavirus in the Line of Duty? (H.R. 6509)
Do you support or oppose this bill?
What is H.R. 6509?
(Updated April 28, 2021)
This bill — the Public Safety Officer Pandemic Response Act of 2020 — would allow public safety officers who contract coronavirus (COVID-19) in the line of duty and become disabled or die from the illness can receive benefits from the Public Safety Officers’ Benefit (PSOB) program in the Dept. of Justice (DOJ). Public safety officers would be eligible if they contracted COVID-19 in the line of duty between January 20, 2020, and one year after the president’s emergency declaration concludes.
Additionally, this bill would clarify that public safety officers who were injured or disabled in the line of duty in relation to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and also contracted COVID-19 in the line of duty will be eligible to receive benefits under the PSOB program.
Argument in favor
Public safety officers — including firefighters, EMTs, and police officers — should receive benefits if they become permanently disabled or die after contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty. This bill would ensure their eligibility and give the officers & their families peace of mind.
Argument opposed
Public safety officers who become disabled or die after contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty are already eligible to make claims from the Public Safety Officers’ Benefit program according to the DOJ. This bill isn’t necessary because it just temporarily codifies existing policy.
Impact
Public safety officers who contract COVID-19 in the line of duty; and the DOJ’s PSOB.
Cost of H.R. 6509
A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.
Additional Info
In-Depth: House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) introduced this bill to extend disability benefits to public safety officers who contract COVID-19 in the line of duty:
“Whether they are law enforcement officers, firefighters, or emergency medical technicians, public safety officers selflessly put their lives on the line every day to protect our communities. During this time of crisis, as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, public safety officers remain on call 24-7, which puts them at serious risk for exposure.”
Original cosponsor Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) added:
“America’s public safety officers are out on the frontlines of this pandemic keeping American up and running as best they can. They are risking their lives to protect all of our communities from this virus. Our heroes deserve the peace of mind that their loved ones will be eligible for support by the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits program.”
The DOJ’s Bureau of Justice Assistance in April 2020 clarified that PSOB covers disability & deaths stemming from COVID-19 because it covers infectious diseases, viruses, and bacteria a public safety officer was exposed to in the line of duty. The PSOB requires a claimant to show that it’s more likely than not the public safety officer was exposed in the line of duty when it was medically possible, and that they did contract COVID-19 within a timeframe that’s medically possible following that exposure.
This legislation has the support of 20 cosponsors in the House, including 19 Democrats and one Republican.
Media:
Summary by Eric Revell
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