HB 481 Summary

• Expands the Ohio Public Safety Officers Death Benefit Fund to cover survivors of part-time, reserve, volunteer, auxiliary, seasonal, and special police officers who are not members of major retirement systems and are killed in the line of duty.

• Increases benefits from the Volunteer Fire Fighters' Dependents Fund by defining death benefit amounts as 40 hours of work multiplied by applicable minimum wage, and restructures benefit distribution to spouses, children, and dependent parents with specific percentages based on family composition.

• Makes survivors of volunteer emergency medical personnel (first responders, EMT-basic, EMT-I, paramedics) eligible for benefits from the Volunteer Fire Fighters' Dependents Fund when killed in the line of duty.

• Expands the definition of "volunteer firefighter" to include part-time and volunteer firefighters employed by fire departments who have completed approved firefighter training and are not members of public retirement systems.

• Clarifies that "killed in the line of duty" includes both deaths occurring during service and deaths from injuries sustained during line of duty service, including heart attacks and other fatal illnesses caused while performing duties.