NAPO Washington Reports

NAPO Victory! Congress Passes Coronavirus Presumption Under PSOB

July 20, 2020
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NAPO Victory! Congress Passes Coronavirus
Presumption Under PSOB

Today, Congress passed S. 3607, the Safeguarding America’s First Responders Act, which establishes a presumption under the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) Program that an officer’s death or disability due to contracting COVID-19 is in the line of duty. The bill is on its way to the President’s desk to be signed into law. This is a big victory for NAPO. To date, 139 officers have died in the line of duty due to COVID-19 and now their families will get the benefits they rightly deserve.

To qualify for the presumption, the officer must have:

  • Engaged in a line of duty action or activity between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021; and
  • Received a diagnosis of COVID-19 (or evidence indicates that the officer had COVID-19) during the 45-day period beginning on the last day of duty of the officer.  For death benefits, evidence must indicate that the officer had COVID-19 or complications from COVID-19 at the time of death.


NAPO worked closely with the bill’s sponsor, Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA), and his staff on this legislation and we fought to ensure its passage through the House and Senate. We look forward to President Trump signing it into law.