Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act of 2025

S. 237 would expand the Public Safety Officers' Benefits (PSOB) program to cover deaths and permanent disabilities caused by certain cancers linked to work as firefighters, police officers, and other first responders. Currently, the PSOB program provides benefits to survivors of officers killed in the line of duty and to officers with work-related injuries, but it does not cover cancer-related deaths. This bill would establish that if a public safety officer develops a covered cancer after at least five years of service and within 15 years of leaving active duty, the cancer would be presumed to be job-related, making it easier for families to receive benefits without proving a specific workplace exposure.

The bill would apply retroactively to officers who died or became disabled from cancer on or after January 1, 2020, potentially covering about 200 past claims. Going forward, the Department of Justice would review the list of covered cancers at least every three years based on medical evidence. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill would cost approximately $255 million over ten years and would result in about 530 approved benefit claims. The bill has passed the Senate Judiciary Committee and is eligible for a full Senate vote.