SB523 • 2026

Line of Duty Act; payments to beneficiaries.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 9.1-402 of the Code of Virginia, relating to Line of Duty Act; payments to beneficiaries.

Labor

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Deeds
Last action: 2026-02-25
Official status: Continued
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not specify which cancers are covered under this new provision, leaving it unclear what specific types of cancer qualify for benefits.

Line of Duty Act; Payments to Beneficiaries

This bill amends Virginia's Line of Duty Act to provide payments to beneficiaries if a deceased law enforcement officer or firefighter died from certain cancers within seven years after retirement.

What This Bill Does

Changes the Line of Duty Act to include deaths caused by specific cancers within seven years of retirement as eligible for benefits.
Beneficiaries can receive $25,000 if the death occurred before January 1, 2025, or $75,000 if it was after that date.

Who It Names or Affects

Beneficiaries of deceased law enforcement officers and firefighters who died within seven years of retirement due to specific cancers.
Employers and institutions responsible for paying out these benefits.

Terms To Know

Line of Duty Act: A law that provides payments to the families of public safety workers who die while on duty or from certain illnesses related to their work.
Beneficiaries: People, usually family members, who receive money or benefits after someone's death.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify the exact cancers covered under this new provision.
It is unclear how many people will be affected by these changes.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

SB523AS1

2026-02-12 • Committee

Finance and Appropriations Amendment

Plain English: The amendment changes the number of years from ten to seven for a specific provision in the Line of Duty Act.

Changes the duration from ten years to seven years for payments to beneficiaries under the Line of Duty Act.

The exact context and implications of reducing the period from ten to seven years are not fully explained in the provided amendment text.

Bill History

2026-02-25 Appropriations
Continued to 2027 in Appropriations (Voice Vote)
2026-02-19 House
Placed on Calendar
2026-02-19 House
Read first time
2026-02-19 Appropriations
Referred to Committee on Appropriations
2026-02-19 Compensation and Retirement
Assigned HAPP sub: Compensation and Retirement
2026-02-14 Senate
Fiscal Impact Statement from Virginia Retirement System (SB523)
2026-02-13 Senate
Read second time
2026-02-13 Senate
Engrossed by Senate as amended Block Vote (Voice Vote)
2026-02-13 Senate
Rules suspended
2026-02-13 Finance and Appropriations
Finance and Appropriations Amendment agreed to
2026-02-13 Senate
Engrossed by Senate Block Vote (Voice Vote)
2026-02-13 Senate
Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 3rd reading) (38-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-02-13 Senate
Read third time and passed Senate Block Vote (38-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-02-12 Senate
Rules suspended
2026-02-12 Senate
Passed by for the day
2026-02-12 Senate
Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (40-Y 0-N 0-A)
2026-02-12 Senate
Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)
2026-02-11 Finance and Appropriations
Reported from Finance and Appropriations with amendment (15-Y 0-N)
2026-02-02 Courts of Justice
Reported from Courts of Justice and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations (15-Y 0-N)
2026-01-24 Senate
Fiscal Impact Statement from Virginia Retirement System (SB523)
2026-01-13 Senate
Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26101202D
2026-01-13 Courts of Justice
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice

Official Summary Text

Line of Duty Act; payments to beneficiaries.
Provides that if a deceased person, as that term is defined in the Line of Duty Act, died as a result of certain cancers within seven years from his date of retirement, his beneficiary shall be entitled to the payment of certain benefits. Under current law, such beneficiary shall be entitled to such payment if the deceased person's death (i) arose out of and in the course of his employment or (ii) was within five years from his date of retirement.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

A BILL to amend and reenact §
9.1-402
of the Code of Virginia, relating to Line of Duty Act; payments to beneficiaries.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §
9.1-402
of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§
9.1-402
. Payments to beneficiaries of certain deceased law-enforcement officers, firefighters, etc., and retirees.
A. The beneficiary of a deceased person whose death occurred on or before December 31, 2005, while in the line of duty as the direct or proximate result of the performance of his duty shall be entitled to receive the sum of $75,000, which shall be paid by the nonparticipating employer or from the Fund on behalf of a participating employer, a contributing nonprofit private institution of higher education, or a contributing private police department, as applicable, in gratitude for and in recognition of his sacrifice on behalf of the people of the Commonwealth.
B. The beneficiary of a deceased person whose death occurred on or after January 1, 2006, while in the line of duty as the direct or proximate result of the performance of his duty shall be entitled to receive the sum of $100,000, which shall be paid by the nonparticipating employer, the contributing nonprofit private institution of higher education, or the contributing private police department or from the Fund on behalf of a participating employer, as applicable, in gratitude for and in recognition of his sacrifice on behalf of the people of the Commonwealth.
C. Subject to the provisions of §
27-40.1
,
27-40.2
,
51.1-813
, or
65.2-402
, if the deceased person's death (i) arose out of and in the course of his employment
or
,
(ii) was within five years from his date of retirement,
or (iii) was caused by one of the cancers listed in subsection C of §
65.2-402
and was within
[

10

seven
]
years from his date of retirement,
his beneficiary shall be entitled to receive the sum of $25,000 or, if the deceased person's death occurred on or after January 1, 2025, $75,000, which shall be paid by the nonparticipating employer or from the Fund on behalf of a participating employer, a contributing nonprofit private institution of higher education, or a contributing private police department, as applicable. For a campus police officer employed by a contributing nonprofit private institution of higher education or a private police officer employed by a contributing private police department, such officer's date of retirement shall be determined by VRS in consultation with the contributing nonprofit private institution of higher education or the contributing private police department, respectively.