Law & Regulations

Honoring Our Fallen Heroes

On December 18, 2025, the President signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026 that included SEC. 8205 “Honoring Our Fallen Heroes” which amended the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) Act. The amendment expands PSOB eligibility to recognize under certain circumstances public safety officer deaths or permanent and total disabilities from cancers resulting from exposures to certain carcinogens.

Families and injured officers applying for PSOB benefits under Honoring Our Fallen Heroes will need to submit claim documentation demonstrating:

• A line of duty action or activity exposed the public safety officer to a listed carcinogen;
• The public safety officer served a minimum of five years before the listed cancer diagnosis;
• The public safety officer left service less than 15 years before the listed cancer diagnosis; and 
• The cancer causes the public safety officer’s death or permanent and total disability.

In addition to the elements above, as with other PSOB claims, additional documentation may be requested as the claim is processed.

This new presumption applies to public safety officer deaths from listed cancers on or after January 1, 2020, and injured officers with listed cancer diagnoses received on or after January 1, 2020.

The Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, PSOB Office will work closely with surviving families, injured officers, and agencies to obtain documentation to determine claims filed under this new amendment.

To contact the PSOB Office, please email [email protected] or call 1-888-744-6513.