On Tuesday, Iowa officials announced formation of an Iowa Public Safety Survivor Fund in support of the families of peace officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty. After a new law took effect Monday, the fund was announced as a means to help with ongoing insurance costs for these families. Organizations who help pay the costs of accident or health care insurance coverage for surviving family members will be grant recipients. They will receive funding each year through the proceeds the Iowa Lottery raises for state causes. “This memorial is a reminder to us about our public servants who have died in the line of duty,” says Mike Sexton, Republican Representative from Rockwell City and a main backer of the program. “Insurance coverage is one of the immediate concerns their survivors can face, and it is right that we find a way to help them continue that coverage.” Sexton farms near Rockwell City and says the insurance difficulties of surviving families became clear in Calhoun County when Rockwell City Police Officer, Jamie Buenting, was shot and killed during a standoff in September of 2013. This insurance issue impacted Buenting’s widow and two children as well as the community. “It’s my hope that this new program can be a meaningful solution,” says Sexton. The new Survivor Fund comes after years of conversations about insurance for surviving family members as the state, county or city government was not authorized to continue accident or health insurance coverage. The Iowa Lottery will provide $100,000 in proceeds each year to the fund, with the first transfer to take place in October. Many details are still being finalized. Once done, in late 2019 or early 2020, the Department of Public Safety will open the application process for nonprofit organizations interested in receiving grants.
