House passes public safety officer benefits bill
Washington – The House recently passed a bill that would revise benefits for public safety officers who suffer a "catastrophic injury” and the families of officers killed.
The Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Improvements Act (H.R. 4018) passed with a voice vote June 27. Introduced by Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA), the bill would make several revisions to the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Programs, including:
- Make eligible the employees and volunteers of private or nonprofit rescue agencies
- Make clear that public safety officers who suffer from a fatal vascular rupture are eligible
- Clarify how benefits are distributed and claims are processed
The bill was prompted by the death of Daniel McIntosh, a 39-year-old paramedic who worked for a nonprofit ambulance service. McIntosh’s family was denied benefits after he suffered a fatal heart attack on the job in 2010.
The bill now moves to the Senate for action.
Post a comment to this article
Safety+Health welcomes comments that promote respectful dialogue. Please stay on topic. Comments that contain personal attacks, profanity or abusive language – or those aggressively promoting products or services – will be removed. We reserve the right to determine which comments violate our comment policy. (Anonymous comments are welcome; merely skip the “name” field in the comment box. An email address is required but will not be included with your comment.)