Fenty Administration Announces Revisions to First Responders Health Benefits

Washington, DC—Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, joined by Chief Cathy Lanier and Chief Dennis Rubin today announced revisions to health benefits for the District’s first responders.

“As first responders, our police officers and firefighters are often unsung heroes, and we want to ensure they receive the highest quality of benefits,” Mayor Fenty said.

In recognition of the unusual post-employment health issues faced by police officers and firefighters, Chief Lanier and Chief Rubin have worked with Mayor Fenty to revise the retiree health benefits policy in order to minimize the impact on police officers and firefighters.  

Dependents of any officer or firefighter injured or killed in the line of duty will receive the maximum retiree health benefits from the District regardless of how many years the officer worked for the District.

For retirees hired prior to Nov. 10, 1996, the old policy will apply, with dependent coverage reduced to a sliding scale up to 60 percent at 25 years. To align the retiree health benefits plan with the structure of police and fire retirement, employees hired after 1997 will receive maximum retiree health benefits after 25 years of services.

The fiscal impact of this policy change will be incorporated into the FY 2011 budget and FY 2011 to FY 2014 financial plan.