Sec. 6. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), a special death benefit of one hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) for a public safety officer who dies in the line of duty before July 1, 2020, and two hundred twenty-five thousand dollars ($225,000) for a public safety officer who dies in the line of duty after June 30, 2020, shall be paid in a lump sum from the fund to the following relative of a public safety officer who dies in the line of duty:

(1) To the surviving spouse.

Terms Used In Indiana Code 5-10-10-6

  • board: refers to the board of trustees of the Indiana public retirement system. See Indiana Code 5-10-10-1
  • dies in the line of duty: refers to a death that occurs as a direct result of personal injury or illness resulting from any action that the public safety officer, in the public safety officer's capacity as a public safety officer, is obligated or authorized by rule, regulation, condition of employment or service, or law to perform in the course of controlling or reducing crime or enforcing the criminal law. See Indiana Code 5-10-10-2
  • fund: refers to the special death benefit fund established by Indiana Code 5-10-10-3
  • Month: means a calendar month, unless otherwise expressed. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
  • public safety officer: means any of the following:

    Indiana Code 5-10-10-4

(2) If there is no surviving spouse, to the surviving children (to be shared equally).

(3) If there is no surviving spouse and there are no surviving children, to the parent or parents in equal shares.

     (b) If the fund would be reduced below two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) by payment in full of all claims that become final in any month, the board shall proceed as follows:

(1) The board shall suspend payment of the claims that become final during that month and the following two (2) months.

(2) At the end of the suspension period, the board shall pay all suspended claims. If the fund would be exhausted by payment in full of all suspended claims, the amount paid to each claimant shall be prorated.

As added by P.L.44-1988, SEC.1. Amended by P.L.42-1991, SEC.3; P.L.53-1993, SEC.1; P.L.49-1998, SEC.1; P.L.99-2020, SEC.7.

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