Every day, law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to protect the communities they live in. So, when I learned that the families of some of Iowa’s fallen officers were waiting sometimes more than three years to learn about the benefits they may receive, dating as far back as 2008, I began asking questions.
I wrote to Assistant Attorney General Karol Mason on January 12, 2015, and then again on February 28, 2015. In its response, the Justice Department acknowledged “the need to improve the timeliness of the process for reaching PSOB claims determinations.”
The languishing decisions on benefits come after a 2009 Government Accountability Office report that said families of fallen or injured officers waited an average of a year and a half before receiving an approval or denial of their Public Safety Officers’ Benefits application. This is despite a 2004 Attorney General memorandum that instructed the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Office to make a determination on all filed claims within 90 days of receiving all necessary information.
I’m continuing to ask questions. I sent another letter to the Justice Department asking for an update on the number of Public Safety Officers’ Benefits applications that have not been resolved. The department’s answers will help me evaluate whether the Justice Department is making progress on providing answers to the families of fallen law enforcement officers.
The delay in a yes or no answer is unacceptable. These families deserve better from the office that was created solely to serve them.