IAFF Responds to Fox News Report on PSOB Benefit Funding

May 8, 2009 – A May 7 FOX News report suggesting that that the Obama budget proposal for FY 2010 cuts spending on the Public Safety Officers Benefit Act (PSOB) from $110 million to $60 million is misguided and inaccurate.

The PSOB (Hometown Heroes) program is an entitlement program, which means that 100 percent of benefits must be paid by law to every family that qualifies. The “cut” that FOX News is reporting is an estimate of what the program will pay out and is based on the predicted number of line-of-duty death claims.

“There has been no cut to the PSOB program,” states IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. “The families of fire fighters who die in the line of duty will receive the full benefit. Whether there are half as many deaths or three times as many deaths, all claims will be paid.”

In 1976, following nearly eight years of lobbying, the IAFF succeeded in persuading President Gerald Ford to sign the original bill, which at that time provided a death benefit of $50,000. Since then, the IAFF has been the principal author of every amendment to the act affecting members’ coverage and benefit amounts.

As a result of these efforts, benefit amounts doubled after September 11 and are now adjusted annually. In 2003, the IAFF succeeded in expanding coverage to include heart attacks and strokes. The benefit is now $315,746 as of October 1, 2008.

“It has been a long and sometimes frustrating journey, with attempts to water down or shelf the legislation and to propose amendments that would have made it ineffective,” says Schaitberger. “We put these benefits in place so that if one of our members makes that ultimate sacrifice, the family doesn’t have to worry -- the benefit will be paid.”