**GAO-10-5**                      Published: Oct 29, 2009. Publicly Released: Dec 01, 2009.                  

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## Highlights

In 1976, Congress established the Public Safety Officers' Benefits (PSOB) program, which is administered by the Department of Justice (Justice) and provides lump-sum payments to eligible public safety officers and their survivors after a line-of-duty death or permanent and total disability. The program also provides educational benefits to an eligible officer's spouse and children. GAO was asked to determine (1) the extent to which claimants receive PSOB program benefits and how long the claims process takes, (2) any issues raised by state and local agencies and others who assist claimants in seeking benefits, and (3) the extent to which the PSOB program follows recognized government standards and guidelines for effective program management. To address these objectives, we reviewed PSOB claims that were opened during fiscal years 2006 to 2008 for all three types of claims, reviewed relevant agency documents, and interviewed PSOB program officials, representatives of advocacy organizations, and state and local officials in five selected states.

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## Topics

Justice and Law Enforcement

AccountabilityClaims processingClaims settlementDisabilitiesDisability benefitsEducation program evaluationEligibility determinationsEmployeesEmployment of the disabledInternal controlsMonitoringPerformance measuresPeople with disabilitiesProgram evaluationPublic assistance programsPublic officialsStrategic planning