Public Safety Officers' Educational Assistance (16.615)

Program

16.615 Public Safety Officers' Educational Assistance

Federal Agency

Agency: Department of Justice
Office: Bureau Of Justice Assistance

Authorization

Educational Assistance to Dependents of Civilian Federal Law Enforcement Officers Killed or Disabled in the Line of Duty, 42 U.S.C. 3796d. Section 1211 and Section 1212; Public Law 104-238, Section 2(2), 110 Statue 3114; Public Law 105-390, Section 2 (2) Statue 3495.

Program Number

16.615

Last Known Status

Active

Objectives

The PSOEA Program, an expansion of the Federal Law Enforcement Dependents Assistance (FLEDA) Program, provides financial assistance for higher education to the spouses and children of public safety officers killed in line of duty. The PSOEA Program also makes assistance available to spouses and children of public safety officers permanently and totally disabled by catastrophic injuries sustained in the line of duty. Under the PSOEA program, the families of state and local police, fire, and emergency public safety officers are covered for line-of-duty deaths that occurred on or after January 1, 1978. The families of Federal law enforcement officers and firefighters are covered for line of duty deaths occurring on or after October 12, 1984. The effective date for families of permanently and totally disabled Federal law enforcement officers is October 3, 1996. Families of state and local police, fire, and emergency public safety officers are covered for line-of-duty permanent and totally disabling injuries that occurred on or after November 13, 1998. Families of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) personnel and state, local and tribal emergency management and civil defense agency employees are covered for such injuries sustained on or after October 30, 2000.

Types of Assistance

DIRECT PAYMENTS WITH UNRESTRICTED USE

Uses and Use Restrictions

Program funds are intended solely to defray eligible applicants' educational expenses, which may include tuition, fees, room and board, books, supplies, and other expenditures consistent with the educational, professional or vocational objectives of the applicant. Funds are restricted to defray above costs only.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicant Eligibility

Dependents who (1) attend a program of education at an eligible institution; or (2) are the spouse and/or surviving children under the age of 27 of Federal, state and local public safety officers, whose deaths or permanent and totally disabling injuries are covered by the Public Safety Officers' Benefits (PSOB) Program (42 U.S.C. 3796 et seq.) are eligible for this program. A public safety officer is a person serving a public agency in an official capacity, with or without compensation, as a law enforcement officer, firefighter or member of a public rescue squad or ambulance crew.

Beneficiary Eligibility

The spouse and surviving children of Federal, state and local public safety officers receive the ultimate benefits from this program. The children may receive benefits for classes taken before their twenty-seventh birthday. There is no age restriction for spouses.

Credentials/Documentation

Documentation needed to apply for assistance includes: the Application for Public Safety Officer's Educational Assistance (42 U.S.C. 3796 d); educational transcripts; tuition/fees statements; acceptance letters to educational/professional institutions; schedule of classes; verification of full or part-time status; and certification of other forms of educational assistance. Contact the PSOB office at 1-888-744-6513 or by e-mail at AskPSOB@usdoj.gov, for full credential/documentation requirements. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-87.

Application and Award Process

Preapplication Coordination

Claimants may initiate a claim by writing or telephoning the PSOEA Program, Benefits Office, Bureau of Justice Assistance, 810 Seventh Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20531, (1-888) 744-6513 or AskPSOB@usdoj.gov. Environmental impact information is not required for this program. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure

This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-102. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-110. The applicant must submit a fully executed application to the PSOEA Program, Benefits Office, Bureau of Justice Assistance, 810 Seventh Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20531.

Award Procedure

Upon a finding of eligibility by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, claimants are typically awarded funds for the current or upcoming term, and they may apply for the following term once the earlier term has been completed. Funds can be received for multiple terms at one time if they have already been completed.

Deadlines

Not Applicable.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time

Dependent upon validity of claim and submission of required documentation.

Appeals

Applicants may appeal within 30 days of denial notification. The appeal process consists of a record review by an administration hearing officer.

Renewals

Not Applicable.

Assistance Considerations

Formula and Matching Requirements

This program has no statutory formula.

This program has no matching requirements.

This program does not have MOE requirements.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance

Assistance is available for the equivalent of 45 months of full-time education or training, or for a proportional period of time for a part-time program. Assistance is typically awarded in 4-month installments to coincide with the length of a school term. Method of awarding/releasing assistance: lump sum.

Post Assistance Requirements

Reports

Audits

No audits are required for this program.

Records

None.

Program Accomplishments

Fiscal Year 2008: PSOEA has developed an E-package. The PSOEA application can be downloaded from the PSOB website at: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/index.html, or http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/grant/psob/psob_education.html. Fiscal Year 2009: No Current Data Available Fiscal Year 2010: No Current Data Available

Financial Information

Account Identification

15-0403-0-1-754.

Obligations

(Direct Payments with Unrestricted Use) FY 08 $1,280,006; FY 09 est $4,100,000; FY 10 est $4,100,000

Range and Average of Financial Assistance

For classes taken since October 1, 2008, the rates of assistance are $915 per month for full-time students. $686 for three-quarter-time student. $456 for half-time students and $228.75 for less-than-half-time students. The amount of assistance is subject to change consistent with the current computation of educational assistance allowance set forth in Title IV of the Higher Education Act, Section 3532 of Title 38, U.S.C.

Regulations, Guidelines and Literature

The Bureau of Justice Assistance's Public Safety Officers' Educational Assistance Program Fact Sheet (August 1999); Federal Register guidelines are available.

Related Programs

16.571 Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program; 16.575 Crime Victim Assistance; 16.576 Crime Victim Compensation

Information Contacts

Regional or Local Office

None.

Headquarters Office

Eric Martin, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance, Department of Justice, 810 Seventh Street, N.W., Washington, District of Columbia 20531 Email: AskPSOB@usdoj.gov Phone: 1-888 744-6513 or (202) 616-6500

Web Site Address

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/grant/psob/psob_main.html

Examples of Funded Projects

Not Applicable.

Criteria for Selecting Proposals

Applications received by BJA are reviewed for completeness, accuracy, and compliance with all program requirements.