Department of Justice officials who administer the Public Safety Officers' Benefits program said the department is overhauling the way it determines eligibility for heart attacks and strokes. Domingo Herraiz, director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, spoke at a gathering of fire service organizations and promised to make significant changes in the way his agency evaluates PSOB claims under the Hometown Heroes Act.

“We are cautiously optimistic that after four long years the Department of Justice will finally implement this important law the way it was intended,” said IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger. “But before declaring victory, we need to see some solid results. It’s great that DOJ is ‘talking the talk,’ now lets see if they ‘walk the walk.’ ”

Changes that DOJ plans to undertake include ending the request for 10 years of medical history before approving a claim and clarifying that all emergency responses are inherently stressful. Concerns have been raised in the past that claims may have been denied because the fire fighter suffered a heart attack after engaging in what a DOJ investigator labeled a “routine activity.” New policy guidance makes clear that responding to a call should never been considered routine.

In addition to using new guidelines to evaluate claims, Herraiz said he will hire additional staff to alleviate the current backlog and promised to personally review all appeals of denials.