Public safety personnel risk their lives to protect the public, and sometimes pay the ultimate price. A “death by line of duty” is honored with a special service and benefits for dependents. Benefits include Social Security, workers’ compensation, pensions, medical and dental benefits, and scholarships.
Law enforcement officers, firefighters, military personnel, and other public safety personnel put their lives at risk to protect the public from harm. Unfortunately, sometimes individuals in these occupations pay the ultimate price for their service by losing their lives. When this happens, it is often referred to as a “death by line of duty.” An individual who loses his life in the discharge of duty is often honored with a special service, and his dependents may be entitled to a variety of benefits following the death.
Each jurisdiction will treat a line of duty death differently; however, most treat him with respect and deference. In the United States, when a police officer, firefighter, or other law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty, there is generally a service that includes law enforcement officers from across the country. It is not uncommon for the mayor or governor to speak at funerals or for roads to be closed to make room for the line of hundreds of vehicles making up the funeral procession. A funeral for a death in service for a member of the United States military often includes honor guards, the firing of shots as a salute, and an American flag draped over the casket in respect to the deceased.
While benefits are unlikely to compensate for the loss of a person who has been the victim of a service-related death, there are often a variety of state and federal benefits available to dependents of the deceased. In the United States, Social Security benefits are often available to your spouse and any minor children. The Public Safety Officers Benefit Act can also provide a large lump sum to the family of a public safety officer who was killed in the line of duty. Most state workers’ compensation programs also provide a one-time payment to the family of a public safety official who died in the line of duty. The federal workers’ compensation program will pay benefits to surviving family members of federal officials who are the victim of a service-related death, and may also pay benefits to state officials under certain circumstances.
Aside from one-time or lump-sum benefits, many family members of someone who has been killed in the line of work are eligible for a state or federal pension. Family members may also be eligible for ongoing medical and dental benefits. Children of those killed in the line of duty are eligible for a variety of scholarships that can help defray the high costs of higher education.
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