Public Safety Officers' Educational Assistance

Objective

Program goal(s) name: Higher education financial assistance Program goal(s) description: Provide financial assistance for higher education to the spouses and children of public safety officers killed or injured in line of duty. Program objective(s) name: Provide financial assistance for higher education to eligible spouses and children of public safety officers permanently and totally disabled by catastrophic injuries sustained in the line of duty. Program objective(s) description: Under the PSOEA Program, the families of state and local police, fire, and emergency public safety officers are covered for line-of-duty deaths that occurred on or after January 1, 1978. The families of federal law enforcement officers and firefighters are covered for line of duty deaths occurring on or after January 1, 1978. The effective date for families of permanently and totally disabled Federal law enforcement officers is October 3, 1996. Families of state, local, and tribal police, fire, and emergency public safety officers are covered for line-of-duty permanent and totally disabling injuries that occurred on or after November 13, 1998. Families of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) personnel and state, local, and tribal emergency management and civil defense agency employees are covered for such injuries sustained on or after October 30, 2000. Families of certain National Disaster Medical System appointees (described in more detail below) are covered for injuries sustained on or after June 24, 2019, and before October 1, 2021; coverage for the families of Department of Energy employees or contractors serving as a nuclear materials courier or as a member of an emergency response team (described in more detail below) applies to injuries occurring on or after January 21, 2021.

Who Can Apply

• Other

Who Benefits

• Individual/Family

The spouse and surviving children of federal, state, and local public safety officers receive the ultimate benefits from this program. The children may receive benefits for classes taken before their 27th birthday. (The maximum age of eligibility for surviving children will be extended by the amount of time a claim for death, disability, or education benefits has been pending before the Bureau of Justice Assistance in excess of one year.) There is no age restriction for spouses.

Assistance Types

• Direct Payment for Specified Use

Program Contact

AskPSOB@usdoj.gov
888-744-6513