Dr. Ruiz Introduces Bipartisan Bill Supporting Families of Law Enforcement Officers and Firefighters

Press Release

Today, Representative Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36), local public safety leaders, and families of fallen law enforcement officers and firefighters came together to announce the introduction of the Heroes Lesley Zerebny and Gilbert Vega First Responders Survivors Support Act. This bipartisan bill would update the Public Safety Officers' Benefit (PSOB) Program so that grieving families of fallen heroes will have the support they need to pay off their debt, pursue an education, and get back on their feet.

"Every day our officers and firefighters risk their lives to protect our community and the least we can do is ensure their families have the support and resources they need in the event of a tragedy," said Dr. Ruiz. "The current benefits system is outdated and families and survivors are being shortchanged due to bureaucracy. They deserve better. Today we announce, as a community, the Heroes Lesley Zerebny and Gilbert Vega First Responder Survivor Support Act. This bipartisan bill is the product of incredible team work and grassroots problem-solving to improve the current system and honor the lives of our fallen heroes."

BREAK IN TEXT

Dr. Ruiz's legislation would increase the PSOB death and disability benefit to half a million, fix bureaucratic problems with the system that rob families of the full benefit, increase the education benefit to $2,000 per month, and identify ways to strengthen, streamline, and increase access to the PSOB education benefit .

Background

The PSOB was established in 1976 to encourage more people to enter the public safety officer workforce by providing them with assurances that their families would receive a robust death benefit if they are killed in the line of duty.

Dr. Ruiz's legislation would:

Increase the PSOB death and disability benefit from $350,00 to $500,000. This allows the average family to fully pay off the most common outstanding debt (mortgage, credit card, auto loans, and private student loans), and the average costs to raise a child from birth to 18.
Fix the benefit determination date to ensure families get the full benefit they are due. This would make the PSOB benefit amount set on the date of disbursement, rather than the date of death.
Increase the education benefit from $1,041 to $2,000 per month and fix the inflationary index. The bill increases the education benefit from $1,041 to $2,000 per month to "catch-up" with years of inadequate inflationary increases. It also changes the inflation rate from CPI-U to the CPI for college tuition and fees.
Study and identify ways to improve access and utilization of the PSOB education benefit. The bill requires the Government Accountability Office to determine PSOB and PSOEA utilization rates, identify barriers to accessing and using the education benefit, and report back to Congress on further improvements that can be made to better serve our officers and their families.

Source