The families of four Lakewood police officers slain last November have received or are entitled to the following public and private benefits:
Charitable donations: $2.2 million.
A trust fund set up by the Lakewood Police Officers Guild raised $2,229,968 in private donations for the officers’ nine children between December 2009 and February of this year. The union closed the fund Feb. 18.
The stated focus of the trust was to meet the educational needs of the children, including tuition, books, fees and room and board. It also will cover the costs of private elementary and secondary schools and trade schools.
Federal death benefits: $311,810 per officer.
The Public Safety Officer Benefits Program, a subsidiary of the U.S. Department of Justice, provides lump-sum payments to families of public safety officers killed in the line of duty.
Families become eligible for the payment within 15 days after the claim is approved.
State death benefits: $214,000 per officer.
The state of Washington provides lump-sum payments to the families of public safety officers killed in the line of duty. The Legislature recently increased the total benefit amount to $214,000.
Families of the Lakewood officers are eligible for the adjusted benefit.
State tuition waiver: variable, applies to children of slain officers.
Children of slain officers are eligible for a full tuition waiver at any state college.
State pension benefits: variable, monthly rate for life.
The families are eligible for the officers’ pension benefits, which are determined by a mathematical formula: highest average salary, multiplied by years of service, multiplied by 2 percent. Here’s a generic example:
Years of service: 20.
Highest average salary: $50,000.
Annual benefit: $20,000.
The Legislature recently adjusted the pension benefit to account for situations involving officers with only a few years of service who are killed in the line of duty. Families of those officers still receive a pension benefit equivalent to what the officer would have received after 10 years of service.
State worker compensation benefits: variable, provided for life.
The state Department of Labor and Industries provides monthly benefits to the families (households) of deceased workers.
The amount is typically two-thirds of the deceased worker’s salary, payable to the surviving spouse for life. A spouse who remarries has the option of taking a lump-sum payment equivalent to 36 months of the worker’s salary.
The other option is suspending payments: If the spouse remarries and the marriage later ends, the monthly payments would resume.
Social Security death benefits: variable.
Families of deceased workers are entitled to the benefits a spouse or parent has earned. The benefit amount is based on the earnings of the person who died. The more the worker paid into Social Security, the greater the benefits.
According to the Social Security Administration, the maximum benefits for surviving family members (spouse plus children) can reach between 150 and 180 percent of the deceased’s benefit amount.
Federal education benefits: variable.
Children of slain officers are eligible for certain educational benefits such as contributions toward tuition; however, the federal aid can be reduced if students receive aid from other sources.
Sean Robinson, staff writer
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.