On Long Island: Gillibrand Pushes To Speed Up Benefit Delivery For Public Safety Officers

Gillibrand Advocates for Improvement of the Public Safety Officers’ Benefit Program Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand held a press conference to push for the passage of her bipartisan Officer John Barnes and Chief Michael Ansbro Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program Expansion Act . The legislation would amend the existing Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) Program to expedite benefit claims for injured and fallen public safety officers, especially 9/11 first responders. It would also implement accountability reforms to ensure disabled officers and the families of fallen officers receive their benefits without delay. “Public safety officers serve on the front lines of our communities,” said Senator Gillibrand. “ New Yorkers and our country have not forgotten 9/11, especially the brave men and women – many of whom were Long Islanders – who answered the call in our nation’s darkest hour. We must fight for our heroes, their health and their families so they receive the care and benefits they deserve.” Congress established the Department of Justice’s PSOB Program in 1976 to provide death benefits to the survivors of officers killed in the line of duty. Despite improvements to the program over the years, applicants still often face lengthy delays in the adjudication of death and disability claims, which Gillibrand’s bill aims to correct. Gillibrand has been fighting to bolster and expand PSOB for years. In 2021, she led the passage of the Protecting America’s First Responders Act , which expanded PSOB eligibility, increased benefit amounts, and ensured that families would not be financially penalized by lengthy processing delays. In a major victory for Gillibrand’s legislative push to reform the backlogged first responder benefits system and after she directly petitioned acting Attorney General Blanche, the Department of Justice announced last week that it had finalized more than triple the number of PSOB death claim determinations compared to the previous nine months. This progress is delivering over $96 million in critical funding to the families of fallen public safety officers. ###