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Commission continues proposed line‑of‑duty survivor benefit changes for staff revision
Summary
Staff presented draft HR rule changes to remove remarriage as a termination condition for line‑of‑duty deaths and to clarify coverage; commissioners asked for revisions (COLA indexing, child age limits, broader definition of "line of duty") and continued the item for two weeks.
Staff introduced proposed amendments to county HR rules intended to treat line‑of‑duty deaths differently from other employee deaths. Under the draft, spouses of employees who died in the line of duty would remain eligible for benefits through age 65 and children through age 21 without termination on remarriage. The draft borrowed language from state statute for "line of duty," but did not include some scenarios (part B) such as heart attacks occurring while on duty.
Commissioners debated whether to adopt the full state statutory definition, whether children's benefits should extend to 26 (in line with ACA), and whether benefits should include COLA adjustments tied to countywide cost‑of‑living increases. They also raised practical questions about stepchildren, remarriage, retroactive application and administrative complexity for ongoing recipients. Staff agreed to return in two weeks with revisions addressing the remarriage provision, potential COLA linkage, and clarification of whether to adopt the broader state definition. The commission voted to continue the item for two weeks to allow staff to prepare an amended draft.
