HB-779 extends full in line of duty death benefit of $100,000.00 to include Covid-19.

 

The bill passed the House on 2/3/2022 and passed the Senate on 3/4/2022. Governor Reeves has signed the bill and the law is now in effect. If you read the text of the bill you will note that it does not mention Covid-19 but instead states that cause of death will now include any cause of death covered under the "Safeguarding America’s First Responders Act of 2020." We have included an excerpt from that act at the conclusion of this article to better clarify the cause of death benefit.

 

Safeguarding America's First Responders Act of 2020

This bill extends death and disability benefits under the Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program (PSOB) to public safety officers (e.g., law enforcement officers) and survivors of public safety officers who die or become injured as a result of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). The PSOB program provides death, disability, and education benefits to public safety officers and survivors of public safety officers who are killed or injured in the line of duty.

 

For purposes of death benefits, this bill creates a general presumption that a public safety officer who dies from COVID-19 or related complications sustained a personal injury in the line of duty.

For purposes of disability benefits, the bill creates a general presumption that COVID-19 or related complications suffered by a public safety officer constitutes a personal injury sustained in the line of duty.