Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program: Educational Assistance Benefits
Program Description
The Public Safety Officers' Education Assistance (PSOEA) Program provides financial assistance, for the purpose of seeking higher education, to the spouses and eligible children of local police, fire, and emergency public safety officers who have been killed or permanently disabled in the line of duty.Educational assistance through the PSOEA Program is available after the Public Safety Officers' Benefit (PSOB) death or disability claim process has been completed and benefits have been awarded. A PSOB specialist works with each PSOEA applicant to confirm that the parent's or spouse's disability or death claim has previously been approved by the PSOB Office and that, in cases regarding an officer's death, the applicant has received at least a portion of the PSOB benefits. Eligibility dates for PSOB benefits can be found on the pages that discuss death claims and disability claims.