(DOJ) Federal red tape delays benefits to fallen firefighters and police

[maddezmom]

Barbara Barrett, Washington Correspondent
WASHINGTON - It was two years ago this week that Firefighter Michael Childress' heart failed at the Level Cross firehouse in rural Randolph County.

Childress, 48, had gone into a back room to watch television while a pal fetched hot dogs for supper. His teenage daughter stopped by the station and found him slumped in his chair.

Childress didn't die after being overtaken by flames or smothered by smoke, but, under the law, he died in the line of duty and should therefore be due nearly $300,000 in federal benefits. His wife, Teresa, hasn't seen any of it.

Nationwide, more than 200 survivors of firefighters and police officers who died on the job, including several from North Carolina, continue to wait for death benefits that Congress and President Bush approved more than three years ago. Just two families have been approved; 40 others have been denied.

The denials and delays have outraged advocates for fallen firefighters and police officers. They say the U.S. Department of Justice is stonewalling payouts for legitimate benefits by taking too long to process cases and demanding that families turn over years of medical records.

more:http://www.newsobserver.com/114/story/571374.html