SF2821

Purpose of the Bill

The purpose of this bill is to expand the definitions and benefits associated with the public safety officer death benefit law in Minnesota. It seeks to ensure that more circumstances of death are covered under the term “killed in the line of duty,” which would allow for retroactive awarding of benefits to affected families.

Main Provisions

• Expanded Definition of "Killed in the Line of Duty":

  • The bill includes deaths due to accidental causes when the officer is actively performing duties.
  • It covers officers who die of heart attacks, strokes, or vascular ruptures following a non-routine and stressful or strenuous physical act while on duty, during or after an emergency response or training.
  • The death by these causes is presumed to be work-related unless contradicted by medical evidence.

• Death by Suicide:

  • Officers who die by suicide are included under "killed in the line of duty" if related to a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or occurs within 45 days after exposure to a traumatic event during duty.

• Death by Infectious Diseases:

  • Coverage is extended to officers whose deaths result from complications due to infectious diseases, including COVID-19, influenza, hepatitis B and C, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, meningitis, and other specified bacterial and viral infections, if medical documentation links the disease to the death.

Significant Changes

• This bill broadens the original scope of what constitutes being "killed in the line of duty" to include certain physical and mental health-related incidences and conditions.
• It acknowledges PTSD and recent exposure to trauma as valid and compensatable causes in cases of suicide among officers.
• It retroactively awards benefits to families of officers who died from identified causes that are now recognized under the expanded definitions.

Relevant Terms

public safety officer, death benefit, killed in the line of duty, heart attack, stroke, PTSD, suicide, posttraumatic stress disorder, COVID-19, infectious disease, traumatic event, retroactive benefits.