Bipartisan Bill Championed by Sen. Ossoff to Expand Support for Georgia First Responders Battling Service-Related Cancer Becomes Law

Washington, D.C. — A bipartisan bill backed by U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff to strengthen benefits for first responders has become law.

The bipartisan Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act, a bill cosponsored by Sen. Ossoff, was recently signed into law as part of the NDAA to expand support for Georgia first responders battling service-related cancers or injuries.

Previously, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Public Safety Officer Benefits (PSOB) program only provided support to first responders who sustained service-related physical injuries or deaths caused by service-related heart attacks, strokes, and mental health conditions.

Under this bipartisan law, the program will now provide support to law enforcement officers, firefighters, and other first responders who fall ill or die of cancer linked to their service and extend similar benefits to survivors of public safety officers.

“Georgia’s first responders put their lives on the line for Georgians every single day,” Sen. Ossoff said. “We passed this bipartisan law to ensure that they get the support they deserve for protecting our communities.”

Sen. Ossoff continues working to support Georgia’s public servants and their families.

In March 2025, Sens. Ossoff and Ashley Moody (R-FL) introduced the bipartisan Homes for Every Local Protector, Educator, and Responder (HELPER) Act of 2025, which would establish a new home loan program under the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) for law enforcement, fire fighters, medical first responders, and teachers.

In March 2025, Sen. Ossoff helped introduce the bipartisan Fighting Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Act to help first responders who are dealing with long-term mental health effects.

In January 2025, the bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act –– which was cosponsored by Sen. Ossoff –– wassigned into law to increase Social Security benefits for public employees like teachers, firefighters, and law enforcement officers.

In 2022, Sens. Ossoff and Chuck Grassley (R-IA)’s bipartisan TBI and PTSD Law Enforcement Training Act became law to fund trainings for first responders, crisis intervention teams, mental health courts, and other programs that help law enforcement assist individuals experiencing mental illness.

Click here to read the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act.

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Jon Ossoff is the Senior United States Senator from the State of Georgia. Elected in 2021, he currently serves on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee; Select Committee on Intelligence; and Rules Committee.