By Jessie Halladay of The Courier-Journal
USA Today
Copyright 2007 Gannett Company, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After volunteer firefighter Gary Jolley died of a heart attack in June 2005 while on a run to check out lightning strikes, his widow learned she might be eligible for a federal benefit of nearly $300,000.
Nearly two years later, and after sending several forms and letters, Brenda Jolley said she has received no money and no word on whether her application will be approved.
“I try to pretend like I may never get it,” said Jolley, 58, of Flemingsburg, Ky. “To me, that’s more money than I could ever imagine.”
Her claim is one of 203 nationwide that remain unresolved since the Hometown Heroes Survivors Benefit Act passed in 2003, said Sandra Gunn, spokeswoman for the Justice Department office that oversees the program, in response to written questions submitted by The (Louisville) Courier-Journal. Two claims have been approved, and 38 were denied, she said.
The Hometown Heroes Act extends line-of-duty death benefits to the families of firefighters and police who died of a heart attack or stroke following a “non-routine stressful or strenuous ... activity or training.” Nearly two-thirds of the claims have come from firefighters’ families.
Gunn said the program could not begin reviewing applications until regulations were created in September 2006. She said administrators can now handle claims more quickly, eventually processing them within 90 days of receiving all information.
Hal Bruno, chairman of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, said the delay in responding to families is appalling. “They deserve to be treated better and not keep them waiting all these years,” he said.
For Rep. Bob Etheridge, D-N.C., who sponsored the legislation that created the benefit, the delay is inexcusable. “It’s ridiculous,” he said. “Can you imagine if everything in the federal government took this long to get done?”
The leading cause of on-duty death for firefighters is coronary heart disease, according to a Harvard School of Public Health study published in the March 22 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine. Heart attacks account for 45% of deaths, the study found, based on data compiled from 1994 to 2004.
Jolley, who does not work because of a back condition, said she has had money concerns since her husband died.
She worries about paying taxes on her home, and she hopes she can stay healthy enough to avoid large medical bills.
“I feel like they look down on me, like, ‘Well, your husband died, that’s too bad for your luck,’” Jolley said.
Jeffersontown Fire Chief Jack Reckner, who recently traveled to Washington to discuss the delay in Hometown Heroes payments, said first responders were thrilled when the legislation passed.
“We ask these people to do something dangerous,” Reckner said. “And we don’t pay them a lot of money to do it.”