S. 3897 — Officer John Barnes and Chief Michael Ansbro Public Safety Officers' Benefit Program Expansion Act of 2026

This section establishes timelines for the Bureau of Justice Assistance to process public safety officer death and disability benefit claims under 34 U.S.C. 10281. It requires notice of missing information within 90 days of claim receipt and a final determination within 270 days after all required information is received, with a single interim benefit payment issued to an undisputed beneficiary or escrow account if the deadline is missed. It directs ongoing outreach to public safety officers and underserved agencies, including disabled officers, and requires annual GAO audits of claims pending more than one year along with summaries of backlogged claims submitted to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees. It also requires the Bureau to issue subpoenas for information from public agencies after 30 days (with a possible 60-day extension) and defines “gainful work” while correcting the spelling of “paraplegic.”

This section requires the Bureau of Justice Assistance to approve claims for public safety officer death benefits if the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund certifies eligibility for death benefits or the World Trade Center Health Program certifies that the cause of death is a related condition, absent clear and convincing evidence to the contrary.

This section requires the Attorney General, within 180 days of enactment, to ensure that the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance implements the recommendations in the Government Accountability Office report entitled “Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program: Transparency, Claims Assistance, and Program Management Improvements Needed” (GAO–24–105549), published on September 27, 2024.