Officer John Barnes and Chief Michael Ansbro Public Safety Officers' Benefit Program Expansion Act of 2026
Sens. Gillibrand and Cruz Introduce Bill to Speed Up Benefits for Fallen and Injured First Responders
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- The bill sets a 270-day deadline for the government to process benefit claims for first responders killed or injured in the line of duty. If the government fails to meet this deadline, it must issue an immediate payment to the officer or their family while the final decision is being made.
- It expands the program to cover 'partial' disabilities. Currently, officers usually only receive benefits if they are totally and permanently disabled. This change provides a half-benefit to those who can no longer work as first responders but might still be able to perform other types of work.
- To prevent local paperwork from slowing down the process, the bill requires federal officials to issue subpoenas to local agencies that fail to provide necessary records within 30 days. This ensures that families aren't left waiting because of a local department's lack of response.
- The legislation fast-tracks help for 9/11 responders. If an officer has already been certified by the Victim Compensation Fund or the World Trade Center Health Program, the government will automatically accept those findings to approve their federal benefit claim.
- The government must conduct annual audits of any claims that have been stuck in the system for more than a year. These reports will identify exactly why delays are happening and what steps are being taken to fix the backlog.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
Programs
The bill significantly expands the Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program by adding partial permanent disability as a qualifying condition. Previously, officers had to be totally and permanently disabled to receive federal benefits. The new provision pays 50% of the death benefit amount to officers who can no longer do their job as a public safety officer due to a line-of-duty injury, even if they could potentially do other types of work. This closes a major gap in coverage.
Disabilities
State Impacts
Milestones
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
3 articlesBipartisan bill would speed up benefit determinations for public safety officers
U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced the Officer John Barnes and Chief Michael Ansbro Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program Expansion Act of 2026. The bill aims to expedite benefit determinations and extend the program to permanently disabled officers.
Bipartisan Bill Introduced to Expand and Speed Up Public Safety Officers' Benefits
The legislation, led by Sens. Cruz and Gillibrand, would amend the PSOB program to reduce claims backlogs and extend benefits to partially injured officers. It is named for Officer John Barnes, who has waited nearly eight years for a determination following the 2018 Santa Fe shooting.
Public Safety Officers' Benefits Expansion Act introduced to Congress
The bipartisan act would extend PSOB eligibility and partial benefits to officers who are permanently but not totally disabled. It also sets a 270-day deadline for the Bureau of Justice Assistance to complete death or disability determinations.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Officer John Barnes and Chief Michael Ansbro Public Safety Officers' Benefit Program Expansion Act of 2026
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(1)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.