By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
- Washington, D.C. — Congress passed the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act, recognizing certain occupational cancers as line-of-duty deaths for public safety officers under the PSOB program; the bill now heads to the President. Police1
- Folded into the NDAA, the Senate vote was reported 77–20; signature is expected imminently, according to fire service groups. Firehouse
- The measure sets a presumption for covered cancers when exposure occurred on duty, with 5+ years of serviceand diagnosis within 15 years of last service; it extends PSOB death, disability and education benefits to eligible families. Police1+1
- Sponsors include Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Reps. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) and Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA); national police and fire groups backed the bill. Police1
WASHINGTON — Congress has approved the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act, a landmark change to federal benefits that recognizes specified occupational cancers as line-of-duty deaths (or permanent, total disabilities) for public safety officers, including law enforcement and fire/EMS. The legislation was included in the National Defense Authorization Act and now goes to the President for signature. Police1+1
The act updates the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) program by creating a presumption that certain cancers are duty-related when three conditions are met: the exposure occurred while performing official duties; the officer had at least five years of service before diagnosis; and the diagnosis came within 15 years of the last active service date. Surviving families and eligible dependents would be entitled to PSOB death and educational assistance, and officers who suffer permanent and total disability from covered cancers would be eligible for disability benefits. Police1+1
The bill’s champions—Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Kevin Cramer, with House sponsors Reps. Carlos Gimenez and Mary Gay Scanlon—framed the measure as closing a long-standing federal gap, aligning PSOB with the reality of carcinogen exposures on scenes and in stations. Police and fire organizations including the FOP, FLEOA, IAFC and others backed the push; the IAFF called the vote a “turning point” for fallen responders’ families. Police1
A related analysis notes the law directs DOJ to periodically review the covered cancer list to reflect evolving science, and extends certain COVID-19 PSOB filing deadlines—additional administrative changes intended to streamline access for survivors. Congressional Budget Office
What it means for agencies and families: Once signed, the act is expected to simplify PSOB claims tied to covered cancers by eliminating the need to trace a single, specific exposure—an often impossible requirement—while maintaining service-time and diagnosis windows to anchor eligibility. Police1