On December 17, 2025, Congress expanded the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act for Public Safety Officers' Benefits (PSOB) program to allow benefits for firefighters who have become disabled or die from certain occupational cancers.
PSOB 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.
The program is encouraging firefighters to start the application process now, while they are working on how they will be determining these new cancer claims. The expanded act allows cancer claims from deaths or disabilities that incurred on or after January 1, 2020. It is unknown at this time what the deadlines will be for allowable retroactive benefits, so starting the process now is to our member’s advantage.
In addition, the program has been offering presumptive benefits for:
- Heart attack, stroke, and vascular ruptures (2003)
- Covid 19 (2019)
- Suicide or attempted suicide (2022)
More information on which cancers are being allowed as well as eligibility and application process information for all benefits, visit this page: leoff.wa.gov/ombuds/psob