147th GENERAL ASSEMBLY

 

FISCAL NOTE

 

DESCRIPTION:        AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 18 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO LINE-OF-DUTY DEATH BENEFITS.

 

 

ASSUMPTIONS:


1.     This legislation is applicable to all line of duty deaths which occurred on or after July 1, 2005.

2.     This legislation expands the definition of death in the line of duty to include individuals who die from a heart attack, stroke, or vascular rupture within 24 hours of on duty strenuous physical activity. This bill also removes the statute of limitations on submitting a claim for benefits.

3.     Under current law, line of duty death benefits include a maximum payout of $150,000, 4 years of college tuition, and health insurance for any dependent children until they reach the age of 26.  Beneficiaries of line of duty death benefits receive $150,000, payable in annual installments with the maximum amount payable in any 1 calendar year being $30,000.

4.     According to the Insurance Coverage Office within the Office of Management and Budget, there has been one claim submitted and currently pending for line of duty death benefits that has occurred since July 1, 2005 that would now be eligible for benefits under this legislation.

5.     This analysis only includes the costs for the known qualifying death and makes no projections about the number of deaths which might qualify for line of duty death benefits in the future.

6.     By expanding the definition of death in the line of duty, there is potential for additional claims to be filed for deaths dating back to July 1, 2005 that the Office of Management and Budget is not currently aware of.  This analysis does not take into consideration any additional claims that might be filed.

Cost:

For each future qualifying death: $150,000, 4 years of college tuition per dependent child, and health insurance per each dependent child until they reach the age of 26

            Fiscal Year 2015            $30,000

            Fiscal Year 2016            $30,000

            Fiscal Year 2017            $30,000

 

 

Office of Controller General                                                        (Amounts are shown in whole dollars)

June 03, 2014

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