{"id":27685,"date":"2023-10-18T19:08:14","date_gmt":"2023-10-18T19:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/10\/18\/sinema-bill-would-boost-death-benefits-for-fallen-feds\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T12:30:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T12:30:09","slug":"sinema-bill-would-boost-death-benefits-for-fallen-feds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2023\/10\/18\/sinema-bill-would-boost-death-benefits-for-fallen-feds\/","title":{"rendered":"Sinema bill would boost death benefits for fallen feds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Update: This story was updated on Oct. 25 to reflect that Sinema\u2019s bill was approved by the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee. <\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Family members of federal employees killed on the job would see their bereavement payout increase by a factor of 10 and their funeral benefit jump 11-fold under a bipartisan bill introduced<\/a> by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, an independent from Arizona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Already, one-time death \u201cgratuities\u201d<\/a> are paid out to fallen Foreign Service officers<\/a> and families of service members who die on active duty or while serving in certain reserve statuses. For other civil servants, however, death benefits have not been updated for more than two decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently, the survivor of a federal employee who dies while performing on the job is eligible to receive a death benefit of as much as $10,000. The bill, if passed, would increase that to $100,000 and include annual adjustments for inflation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSurviving family members of federal workers who die in the line of duty should receive fair and full benefits,\u201d said Sinema, who was chosen to fill a vacancy on the Senate Appropriations committee Tuesday. \u201cWe\u2019re honoring their sacrifice to keep our country safe and secure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bill would also increase funeral benefits to $8,800 from $800. The average cost of a funeral today is between $7,000 and $8,000, according to the National Funeral Directors Association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unions collectively representing hundreds of thousands of federal workers voiced their support for the bill. A companion measure was introduced in the House by Reps. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe current rates have not kept up with the times, staying static since 1997, and the funeral allowance hasn\u2019t changed since 1966,\u201d said Craig Carter, president of the Federal Managers Association, in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At a time when the necessity, size and politicization of the federal government is repeatedly called into question by Republican members of Congress, the public and even presidential candidates,<\/a> the bill offers recognition of many federal employees whose work, whether connected to law enforcement or not, puts them in harm\u2019s way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Federal unions representing police officers, election officials, IRS employees and U.S. attorneys and prosecutors have said there has been an increased volume of threats made against civil servants in recent years. On Jan. 6, 2021, nearly U.S. Capitol Police officers were assaulted when rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol building to protest the election of Joe Biden, according to the Department of Justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In May, the Treasury Department\u2019s inspector general said it was concerned that \u201ctaxpayers and anti-government or anti-tax groups with malevolent intent may use the Internet or social media to track down and identify IRS employees, their families, their homes, and personal information to threaten, intimidate, or locate them for physical violence,\u201d the Associated Press reported. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\t