Biden signs bill making benefits available to families of officers who die by suicide

President Biden on Tuesday signed a bill into law which extends disability and death benefits to families of officers who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or die by suicide in the line of duty. The Public Safety Officer Support Act of 2022 is part of a larger effort to recognize the emotional impacts of traumatic events on first responders nationwide.

Erin Smith fought for months for death benefits after her husband – Washington, D.C., Metropolitan police officer Jeffrey Smith – died nine days after the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol. A 12-year veteran of the department, Jeff Smith was the target of several attacks that day after responding to the mob of rioters who breached the Capitol.

"I have gone through hell and back to get my husband's death declared line of duty, and to get the Metropolitan Police Dept. and the city of D.C. to recognize that the brain injury he received on duty is the reason he is no longer here with us today," Erin Smith said in a statement Tuesday.