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All of the benefit information below has been complied by COPS, a support group for police survivors.
Rev.11/04
STATE OF NEW MEXICO
DEATH BENEFITS
To obtain certified copies of registered personal documents, contact Vital Records Office,
1190 St. Francis Drive, Santa Fe, NM 87503, phone (505) 827-2338.
STATE DEATH BENEFITS
A one time state death benefit of $50,000 is payable to the designated beneficiary of New
Mexico State Police Officers killed in the line-of-duty. Contact the New Mexico State
Police P.O. Box 1628, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87504-1628; (505) 827-9161.
For specific information concerning death benefits that may be available on an individual
basis contact the New Mexico Department of Public Safety, Office of the Secretary,
Albuquerque Highway, P.O. Box 1628, Santa Fe, NM 87504-1628; (505) 827-3370.
STATE PENSION BENEFITS
Public Employees Retirement Association is responsible for the distribution of 50% of
final monthly salary for life, payable to the designated beneficiary.
Title 5 U.S. Code Benefits - 50% to 75% of monthly salary if the peace officer is killed
while enforcing a federal law. This benefit would terminate at the death or remarriage of
the spouse.
Public Employees Retirement Association, P.O. Box 2123, Santa Fe, NM 87504-2123;
(505) 827-4700 administers the New Mexico state pension benefits.
For specific information concerning state pension benefits contact the above department as
individual circumstances may vary available benefits.
In most cases the surviving spouse would not lose pension benefits upon remarriage, and the
widow(er) would have pension benefits reinstated upon divorce of an additional spouse.
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Rev.11/04
EDUCATION BENEFITS
"Fire Fighter and Peace Officer Survivors Scholarship Act"
Fire Fighter and Peace Officer Survivors Scholarships Act, Section 21-21F-1 et seq.,
NMSA 1978 provides a college scholarship program administered by the Board of
Educational Finance. Any spouse or natural or adopted child, twenty-one years of age or
under at the time of the peace officers death is eligible for educational assistance.
A survivor meeting entrance requirements shall be entitled to a scholarship to the eligible
institution of his/her choice. The amount of the scholarship shall be equal to the amount of
tuition charged by the institution attended. The scholarship shall continue for such time as
the recipient remains a good student in good standing at the institution, but in no event shall
any survivor receive a scholarship for more than five years.
Contact the Financial Aid Office at the institution and tell them you qualify for the
"Fire Fighter and Peace Officer Survivors Scholarship Act." The Board of Educational
Finance is also known as the Commission on Higher Education, 1068 Cerrillos Road
Santa Fe, NM 87505, phone (505) 476-6500, Fax (505) 476-6511
HEALTH BENEFITS
Health plans vary. Check with your local department to determine benefit packages
available. You may also contact the Risk Management Division, General Services
Department, 1100 St. Francis Drive, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 87501; (505) 827-0442, as
they administer the health benefits for some departments.
WORKERS' COMPENSATION
Workers' Compensation coverage is compulsory for employers with 3 or more employees in
New Mexico; however, waivers are allowed.
Benefit is 66 2/3% of employee's wage for spouse only or for spouse with child(ren) with a
minimum weekly benefit payable but not statutorily prescribed and a maximum weekly
benefit of $333.02 for a maximum period of 700 weeks.
Two-year lump sum is payable to spouse upon remarriage and weekly benefits cease.
Children receive benefits until age 18 or beyond age 18 if disabled, or until age 23 if fulltime
students. There is also a maximum burial allowance of $3,000.
NM
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Rev.11/04
To receive workers' compensation benefits the surviving spouse must take the initiative and
file a workers compensation claim through a workers' compensation attorney to receive any
compensation. The determination as to whether the claim will be paid will be determined by
the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board.
Contact the Workers' Compensation Administration, 1820 Randolph Road SE, P. O.
Box 27198, Albuquerque, NM 87125-7198, telephone (505) 841-6000.
PERSONAL LIFE POLICIES
Uniform probate code, with extensive modifications, adopted. (45- 1-101 et seq.). Code was
enacted with 1975 Official Amendments, but many subsequent Official Amendments have not
been adopted.
Separate property undisposed of by will goes one-fourth to surviving spouse and remainder
to decedent's issue. If no surviving issue, surviving spouse takes all separate property of
intestate. One-half of community property over which decedent had power of testamentary
disposition goes to surviving spouse, if undisposed of by will. (45-2-102, 103). If no
surviving spouse, all intestate property goes to issue of same degree equally, if not same
degree, by representation. If no surviving spouse or issue, all property goes successively to
following classes in priority listed: Decedent's parents' issue of parents; grandparents; issue of
grandparents; any lineal ancestors or their descendants. (45- 2-103). Must survive decedent
by 120 hours to take as heir.
Surviving Spouse - Surviving spouse owns one-half of community property; other one-half
can be disposed of by will. Community property is subject to community debts. (45-2-804).
PEER SUPPORT ORGANIZATION
Established in 1984, Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc. (COPS), is a national, non-profit
organization that works with law enforcement agencies, police organizations, mental health
professional, and local peer-support organizations to provide assistance to surviving families
of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. COPS has become a "lifeline" to police
survivors nationwide. Contact: New Mexico COPS, Sabrina Moody, Chapter Contact,
1215 W. Summit, Roswell, NM 88203, (505)622-6005, lsgmoody@msn.com.
ADDITIONAL BENEFITS
NM
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Rev.11/04
New Mexico Grief Intervention Program, was designed for survivors of the sudden death
of a child. It is part of the Office of the Medical Investigator, under the School of
Medicine, University of New Mexico. Originally funded by the Division of Mental and Child
Health, HSD, as a model demonstration grant, the program is now state and locally funded.
The thrust of the Grief Intervention Program is twofold:
(1) to provide crisis intervention services to families after the death
of a child, and
(2) to provide education about death and bereavement for
professional and lay persons.
Services to bereaved families include counseling and support; education about the grief
process; referral to other resources; volunteer contact if in an outlying community; and
autopsy findings within 24 hours (or when available). Parent support groups around the state
are encouraged and offered assistance by GIP staff. Interventions have been provided to
individuals and groups following traumatic death.
Check with your local and state associations for additional benefits that may be available to
survivors of peace officers who are killed in the line of duty.
The New Mexico State Police Association provides death benefits to beneficiaries of its
members. Natural causes - off duty $2,500, Natural Causes - on duty $5,000, and the
beneficiaries of police officers killed in the line of duty will receive $7,500.
There is a Police Officers Memorial located at the Department of Public Safety, 4491
Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
All of the benefit information above has been complied by COPS, a support group for police survivors.
Contact the National Office of Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc. for additional information, or to support any of COPS' programs.
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Web site copyrighted © 2005 by Lydia Warner Miller