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GovernmentCornyn seeks action on overdue efforts to help families of fallen first respondersStands with widow from Katy, Texas during her testimony in Judiciary Committee hearing to expedite benefits From the Office of Senator John Cornyn October 17, 2007
The Hometown Heroes bill extends the current Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program to public safety officers who die as a result of a heart attack or stroke within 24 hours of being on duty, responding to an emergency or participating in a training exercise. Heart attacks and strokes represent a significant risk among public safety officers, accounting for nearly half of all firefighter deaths each year. Approximately four years after the bill was signed into law, however, the Justice Department has approved only 12 Hometown Heroes claims, while denying 50 families this important benefit, and leaving more than 240 applications unanswered. Below are Sen. Cornyn’s opening remarks at today’s hearing: “Thank you Mr. Chairman for holding this important hearing and for asking Jo Ann Tilton of Katy, Texas, to testify. I appreciate having the opportunity to raise additional awareness about her case. “On October 20, 2004, volunteer firefighter Gary Tilton died of a heart attack. Three years later, Jo Ann Tilton comes before this committee seeking answers. Ms. Tilton wrote to my Dallas office in May of 2006 about the adjudication of her husband’s Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) claim, which she submitted to the Department of Justice (DOJ) in January 2005. The determination still to be made is whether or not Mr. Tilton’s cardiac event was actually a “line of duty” event. His heart attack occurred after performing his duties as Volunteer Chief of the Katy Fire Department. “Not only has DOJ taken an extraordinarily long time to process the claims, but DOJ has given Ms. Tilton different answers every time, most of the time telling her nothing. On April 24, 2007, my office received a letter from the DOJ stating that the PSOB office had completed its review of Mrs. Tilton’s claim and she would receive written notification within the next 10 days. Then, on September 5, 2007, my office received another letter from the DOJ stating that her husband’s file had been sent to the forensic pathologist to undergo another medical review. “We’re coming up on three years that Ms. Tilton’s has been waiting for a decision to be made on her claim and waiting for a straightforward answer. This is unacceptable. It speaks to the need to reform our tangled bureaucracies that are unable to make timely, efficient decisions on matters of great personal importance to the families of our nation’s first responders. “I hope that this hearing highlights that need so that people like Ms. Tilton may receive closure on this chapter of their lives, instead of facing continued confusion, frustration, and disappointment.” Sen. Cornyn serves on the Armed Services, Judiciary and Budget Committees. In addition, he is Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics. He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee’s Immigration, Border Security and Refugees subcommittee and the Armed Services Committee’s Airland subcommittee. Sen. Cornyn serves on the Armed Services, Judiciary and Budget Committees. In addition, he is Vice Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference and the Senate Select Committee on Ethics. He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee’s Immigration, Border Security and Refugees subcommittee and the Armed Services Committee’s Airland subcommittee. He served previously as Texas Attorney General, Texas Supreme Court Justice, and Bexar County District Judge. |
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