A unique effort of the U.S. Department of Justice; local, state, tribal, and federal public safety agencies; and national organizations, the Public Safety Officers' Benefits (PSOB) Program provides death and education benefits to survivors of fallen law enforcement officers, firefighters, and other first responders, and disability benefits to officers catastrophically injured in the line of duty. 90% of the population this benefit is supposed to serve don't even know this exists for families.    In 2007, as a devoted police officer, I was injured while performing my duties to protect and serve my community. Only recently did I learn about the Public Safety Officer Benefits (PSOB) program, a benefit I am due, which offers financial support to officers injured in the line of duty. My experience has shed light on a critical issue: the current law imposes a time limit on when officers can file for these benefits, potentially depriving many deserving officers of much-needed support.

Injured officers, like myself, dedicate their lives to upholding the law and ensuring public safety. However, due to the lack of awareness and the current restrictions imposed by the time limitations within the PSOB program, many officers remain uninformed and ineligible to file for benefits they rightfully deserve. This oversight requires urgent attention and reform. The dangers faced by police officers are not bound by time, and neither should the ability to claim benefits due to injuries sustained in the line of duty.

An alarming number of officers are likely unaware of the PSOB benefits due to inadequate dissemination of information across various departments. This presents a major concern, as these benefits can significantly aid their recovery and financial stability, which are critical in returning to their essential roles, or adjusting to life changes due to their injuries.

We urge the legislative body to amend the existing law and eliminate the time constraints currently in place for filing for PSOB benefits. Time should not be an added barrier against the justified entitlements of those who risk it all.

By advocating for this change, we not only support the men and women who tirelessly protect us but ensure justice and equal opportunities for all injured officers needing support. No officer should face added adversity when pursuing benefits that were created to support them.

Your voice is powerful, and by signing this petition, you'll be standing in solidarity with public safety officers. Help us remove this unfair limitation and ensure that all officers are made aware of and can access their entitled PSOB benefits, irrespective of when they become aware of them. Sign the petition to support change for those who sacrifice for our safety.   If you know a public safety officer it is imperative that you get this to them so that they may get it out into the community and into the officers hands who need to know about it. This is for all our men and women across the USA who have no idea about a vital benefit that they are entitled too. With the time limit they set it seems they want to limit us to being able to collect based on lack of information provided to officers. They give enough time to say they gave time but if you don't know then it doesn't matter if the time frame is 10, 20 years, you can not file for something you DO NOT know exists.  This is not just for the officers but the families of officers.  It should be mandatory for all departments to provide this information and if they do not know about it then the DOJ needs to take steps to inform heads of departments so that everyone entitled to these benefits,  both officers and families can apply for benefits.     https://bja.ojp.gov/program/psob     you may go here to read about the PSOB.