H.R. 9845: Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Enhancement Act of 2026

This bill would make it easier for certain families of public safety officers to get death benefits when the officer dies from a heart attack or stroke.

What the bill changes

• It amends the federal Public Safety Officers’ Benefits program, which provides payments to eligible survivors of public safety officers who die in the line of duty or from certain covered causes.
• For heart attack and stroke claims, it removes language that could require beneficiaries to prove the death was caused by something other than ordinary cardiovascular risk factors.
• It deletes one paragraph of the existing rule that appears to create additional hurdles in these cases.
• It changes one time-related requirement from 24 hours to 72 hours in a related part of the claims process, which gives applicants a longer window to meet that requirement.
• It also makes a small technical wording change to keep the section consistent after the deletions.

Who would be affected

The bill would mainly affect beneficiaries of public safety officers, such as police officers, firefighters, and other qualifying officers, when a claim is based on a heart attack or stroke. In practice, it would likely make those claims simpler to file and potentially easier to approve.

When it would apply

The changes would apply to claims that are already pending when the bill becomes law, as well as claims filed after enactment.

Relevant Companies

None found