Safety officers denied on-duty death benefits (by Justice Dept)

More than three years after President Bush signed a law granting federal benefits to families of firefighters, police officers and EMTs who die of heart attacks and strokes on the job, not a dollar has been paid. The U.S. Justice Department has denied all 34 claims that have been decided, and has yet to act on more than 200 others, MSNBC.com has learned.

In the Hometown Heroes Act of 2003, Congress said that heart attacks and strokes on the job should be presumed to be line-of-duty deaths, making survivors eligible for federal benefits.

"I think the Department of Justice has intentionally misinterpreted the intent of Congress and the president," the sponsor of the legislation, Rep. Bob Etheridge, D-N.C., told MSNBC.com on Wednesday.

The Department of Justice confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that no claims have yet been paid, while 34 have been denied and about 206 are pending. A spokeswoman said the delays are caused by the complexity of the cases, not by any disagreement with the intent of the law.

Cause for alarm15 firefighters have died at fires where rescuers weren't given a chance to find them quickly. MSNBC.com's Bill Dedman reports.

LinkHere