Facebook Twitter Linkedin-in Youtube Instagram Flickr Pinterest
Main Menu
Family Benefits

South Carolina Survivor Benefits

Updated July 2021 (COVID-19 related benefits updated April 2021)

COVID-19 BENEFITS

PSOB benefits are available in any State of the U.S., the District of Columbia, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands of the U.S., Guam, American Samoa, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and any territory or possession of the U.S.

ONE-TIME DEATH BENEFITS

South Carolina does not have a one-time death benefit payment for its firefighters.

COMPENSATION FOR DEATH OR DISABILITY OF FIREFIGHTERS FROM OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES

Any impairment or injury to the health of a firefighter caused by heart disease or respiratory disease resulting in total or partial disability or death is presumed to have arisen out of and in the course of employment. The impairment must have developed while actively engaged in fighting a fire or within 24 hours from the date of last service in the activity. The firefighter must have been under the age of 37 upon entry to the service and passed a physical examination which failed to reveal any evidence of such condition. South Carolina does not have any laws pertaining to the presumption of cancer as an occupational disease for firefighters.

Contact: South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission P.O. Box 1715 1333 Main Street, Suite 500 Columbia, SC 29202 Phone: (803) 737-5700 E-mail: Contact Us Website: www.sc.gov

Reference: SC Code, Section 42-11-30

WORKERS' COMPENSATION

A weekly payment equal to 66-2/3% of the workers’ average weekly wages up to the state’s average weekly wage, for a period of 500 weeks from the date of the injury shall be paid to the worker’s dependents. Spouses, children under the age of 19 or under 23 if a full-time student, and children incapable of self-support are presumed to be dependents. Other family members may be considered dependent based on the particulars of the situation.

Contact: South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission P.O. Box 1715 1333 Main Street, Suite 500 Columbia, SC 29202 Phone: (803) 737-5700 E-mail: Contact Us Website: www.sc.gov

Reference: SC Code, Section 42-9-290

FUNERAL BENEFIT

Workers’ Compensation law requires employers to pay for burial expenses up to $12,000.

Contact:
South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission
P.O. Box 1715
1333 Main Street, Suite 500
Columbia, SC 29202
Phone: (803) 737-5700
E-mail: Contact Us
Website: www.sc.gov

Reference: SC Code, Section 42-9-290

RETIREMENT/PENSION PLAN

Call/Volunteer Firefighters

Length of Service Award Programs (LOSAP) provide volunteer firefighters with department provided money for use as a retirement benefit. In the case of a volunteer firefighter dying in the line of duty, a LOSAP program will pay out the full vested amount in the firefighter’s account to their survivors.

Career Firefighters

Members of the Police Officers Retirement System, which can include judges, coroners, and paid firefighters, receive a one-time payment equal to their annual compensation plus either their accumulated contributions to the system or $1,000, whichever is greater. This benefit is payable to a spouse or other designated beneficiary. The beneficiary may also be eligible for a monthly payment for the rest of their life, based on what coverage the employer has chosen.

Cities in the state of South Carolina are able to set up their own pension systems for firefighters which may offer different benefits than those listed above.

Contact:
South Carolina Public Employee Benefit Authority
202 Arbor Lake Drive
Columbia, SC 29223
Phone: (803) 737-6800
E-mail: Contact Us
Website: www.peba.sc.gov

Reference: SC Code, Sections 9-11-110, 9-11-120, 9-11-125, 9-13-10

EDUCATION BENEFIT - CHILDREN

Children of firefighters, paid or volunteer, killed in the line of duty shall have their tuition waived for up to 4 years at any state-supported college, university, vocational school, or technical school. This cannot be applied toward graduate work.

Contact:
South Carolina Commission on Higher Education
1122 Lady Street, Suite 300
Columbia, SC 29201
Phone: (803) 737-2260
Fax: (803) 737-2297
Website: www.che.sc.gov

Reference: SC Code, Section 59-111-110

EDUCATION BENEFIT - SPOUSE

The above education benefit does not extend to spouses of fallen firefighters.

Reference: SC Code, Section 59-111-110

NON-PROFIT OR PRIVATE ORGANIZATIONS

Kids’ Chance of South Carolina, Inc.
P.O. Box 2957 Georgetown, SC 29442-2957 Phone: (843) 546-5937 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.kidschancesc.org Kids’ Chance of South Carolina offers scholarships to students with a parent who has been seriously or fatally injured in a workplace accident in the state of South Carolina, causing financial need. The applicant must be under the age of 25 and have achieved a high school diploma by the time of the first disbursement of the scholarship award. Applicant must be entering to study or already studying and attending an accredited two or four-year University or vocational school. The scholarships vary in amount based on demonstrated need and available funds, and are available for up to 4 years.
South Carolina State Firefighters’ Association
111 Westpark Boulevard Columbia, SC 29210 Phone: (803) 454-1800 Fax: (803)454-1801 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.scfirefighters.org SCSFA offers the following benefits to its members in the case of death: $5,000 accidental death, $25,000 LODD or covered illness, and $10,000 dependent child benefit. The SCSFA also has a retirement plan which pays out the full vested amount in the firefighter’s account balance. Member Benefits Summary
National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
P.O. Box 498 Emmitsburg, MD 21727 Phone: (301) 4471-1365 FAX: (301) 4471-1645 Website: www.firehero.org The Sarbanes Scholarship Program Spouses, life partners, children, and stepchildren of firefighters honored at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial are eligible to apply for the NFFF Sarbanes Scholarship Program along with other partner programs. The NFFF Sarbanes Scholarships are awarded for undergraduate and graduate studies, vocational-technical training, and certification and job training programs. They may be used for study at in-state or out-of-state public and private schools.
The International Association of Fire Fighters
1750 New York Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20006 Website: client.prod.iaff.org/#contentid=1743 The W. H. “Howie” McClennan scholarship provides financial assistance for sons, daughters or legally adopted children of IAFF Union Members killed in the line of duty planning to attend a university, accredited college or other institution of higher learning. Scholarship amount is $2,500 per year, renewable up to 4 consecutive years.

HEALTH BENEFIT

Spouses and children covered under the State Health Plan, State Dental Plan or State Vision Plan through the South Carolina Public Employee Benefit Authority shall have their health and dental premiums waived for the first year after the firefighter’s death. After that they may elect to continue coverage with some employers contributing part of the premium.

Reach out to your fire department’s benefits coordinator for full details.

FUNERAL & CREMATION BENEFITS

A surviving spouse is exempt from the property tax on their primary residence and up to an acre of land on which it resides so long as the spouse remains unmarried and owns the residence in fee or for life.

Contact:
South Carolina Department of Revenue Main Office
300A Outlet Pointe Boulevard
Columbia, SC 29210
Phone: (803) 898-5000
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.dor.sc.gov

Reference: SC Code, Section 12-37-220

FUNERAL & CREMATION BENEFITS

Dignity Memorial
Phone: (800) 343-4464
Website: www.dignitymemorial.com

Dignity Memorial is a consortium of funeral, cremation and cemetery providers across the United States and Canada. They have a Public Servants Program for first responders and emergency services workers. Dignity provides these services, at no cost, for career and volunteer firefighters who are killed in the line of duty. Also provides “extended counseling” to the grieving family. There is a location finder per state on the website, and funeral directors are encouraged to contact Dignity regarding the first responder program.

Wilbert Funeral Services, Inc.
2913 Gardner Road
Broadview, IL 50155
Phone: (708) 681-7040 (Terry Whitlock)
Website: www.wilbert.com

Wilbert provides complimentary burial vaults (including urns vaults) for fallen law enforcement officers and firefighters through 193 licensee locations. Funeral directors should contact Wilbert for information on obtaining vaults.

COUNTY & LOCAL JURISDICTION BENEFITS

Disclaimer: The material contained in the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Survivor Benefits website is not the result of legal research, but rather is based on a scan of public documents. We have made every effort to be accurate and timely, but errors may exist. The material on this website is advisory only and should not be cited as evidence or proof that a benefit exists or that our facts are accurate. Always consult the decedent’s fire department for benefits assistance, or a benefits’ attorney. If, in the course of your own research, you see errors of fact, or new benefit information, please pass this information along to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

This website is funded in whole or in part through a grant from the Bureau of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Neither the U.S. Department of Justice nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse, this Web site (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any service or tools provided).

PO Drawer 498, Emmitsburg, MD 21727 | Phone: (301) 447‑1365 | Fax: (301) 447‑1645 | Contact
© 2003–2022 National Fallen Firefighters Foundation| Privacy Policy | Terms of Use

Foundation does not solicit donations by phone or employ outside companies to do so. You can make a donation by mail, by phone or through our website.
Website Hosting, Support & Strategy by First Arriving