Survivors of police officers could now also receive a so-called death benefit supplement in addition to the death benefit paid today. The new one-off social benefit would be paid if a police officer dies as a result of an on-the-job accident or occupational disease. The amount of the benefit would be 50,000 euros. This follows from the draft amendment to the law on social security for policemen and soldiers, which was submitted to the National Council (NR) of the Slovak Republic by a group of coalition MPs from the Hlas-SD club.
“The primary purpose of the introduction of the one-time benefit is to eliminate the negative consequences of the immediate and unexpected loss of secondary income of surviving persons in the event of the death of a police officer (as this person is defined by this law), which occurred as a result of a work accident or occupational disease,” the submitters stated in the material.
As they emphasized, social security for family members in the event of the death of a police officer could have a motivating effect with regard to the recruitment of new members of the Police Force and increase social security in the corps of already active police officers.
If approved, the amendment to the law could enter into force at the beginning of next year. “The proposed effectiveness of the law from January 1, 2025 takes into account the anticipated course of the legislative process and the sufficient length of the legislative vacancy to prepare for its implementation,” the proponents stated in the material. The current state grants a close survivor, as defined by law, a death benefit after a police officer whose employment has ended by death or being declared dead, in the amount of the severance pay to which the police officer would have been entitled at the time of death.
