Adoptive parent of a public safety officer means any individual who (not being a step-parent), as of the injury date, was the legally-adoptive parent of the public safety officer, or otherwise was in a child-parent relationship with him.

Beneficiary of a life insurance policy of a public safety officer—An individual (living or deceased on the date of death of the public safety officer) is designated as beneficiary of a life insurance policy of such officer as of such date, only if the designation is, as of such date, legal and valid (as a designation of beneficiary of a life insurance policy) and unrevoked (by such officer or by operation of law) or otherwise unterminated, except that—

1. (1) Any designation of an individual (including any designation of the biological or adoptive offspring of such individual) made in contemplation of such individual's marriage (or purported marriage) to such officer shall be considered to be revoked by such officer as of such date of death if the marriage (or purported marriage) did not take place, unless preponderant evidence demonstrates that—

   1. (i) It did not take place for reasons other than personal differences between the officer and the individual; or
   2. (ii) No such revocation was intended by the officer; and

2. (2) Any designation of a spouse (or purported spouse) made in contemplation of or during such spouse's (or purported spouse's) marriage (or purported marriage) to such officer (including any designation of the biological or adoptive offspring of such spouse (or purported spouse)) shall be considered to be revoked by such officer as of such date of death if the spouse (or purported spouse) is divorced from such officer after the date of designation and before such date of death, unless preponderant evidence demonstrates that no such revocation was intended by the officer.

   Beneficiary under the Act, at 34 U.S.C. 10281(a)(4)(A)—An individual (living or deceased on the date of death of the public safety officer) is designated, by such officer (and as of such date), as beneficiary under the Act, at 34 U.S.C. 10281(a)(4)(A), only if the designation is, as of such date, legal and valid and unrevoked (by such officer or by operation of law) or otherwise unterminated, except that—

3. (1) Any designation of an individual (including any designation of the biological or adoptive offspring of such individual) made in contemplation of such individual's marriage (or purported marriage) to such officer shall be considered to be revoked by such officer as of such date of death if the marriage (or purported marriage) did not take place, unless preponderant evidence demonstrates that—

   1. (i) It did not take place for reasons other than personal differences between the officer and the individual; or
   2. (ii) No such revocation was intended by the officer; and

4. (2) Any designation of a spouse (or purported spouse) made in contemplation of or during such spouse's (or purported spouse's) marriage (or purported marriage) to such officer (including any designation of the biological or adoptive offspring of such spouse (or purported spouse)) shall be considered to be revoked by such officer as of such date of death if the spouse (or purported spouse) is divorced from such officer subsequent to the date of designation and before such date of death, unless preponderant evidence demonstrates that no such revocation was intended by the officer.

   Cardiovascular disease includes heart attack and stroke.

   Child-parent relationship means a relationship between a public safety officer and another individual, in which the individual (other than the officer's biological or legally-adoptive parent) has the role of parent, as shown by convincing evidence.

   Competent medical evidence means evidence that indicates a fact to a degree of medical probability.

   Designation on file—A designation of beneficiary under the Act, at 34 U.S.C. 10281(a)(4)(A), is on file with a public safety agency, -organization, or -unit, only if it is deposited with the same by the public safety officer making the designation, for it to maintain with its personnel or similar records pertaining to him.

   Direct and proximate result of a heart attack or stroke—A death results directly and proximately from a heart attack or stroke if the heart attack or stroke is a substantial factor in bringing it about.

   Engagement in a situation involving law enforcement, fire suppression, rescue, hazardous material response, emergency medical services, prison security, disaster relief, or other emergency response activity—A public safety officer is so engaged only when, within his line of duty—

5. (1) He is in the course of actually—

   1. (i) Engaging in law enforcement;
   2. (ii) Suppressing fire;
   3. (iii) Responding to a hazardous-material emergency;
   4. (iv) Performing rescue activity;
   5. (v) Providing emergency medical services;
   6. (vi) Performing disaster relief activity; or
   7. (vii) Otherwise engaging in emergency response activity; and

6. (2) His public safety agency (or the relevant government) legally recognizes him to have been in such course at the time of such engagement (or, at a minimum, does not deny (or has not denied) him so to have been).

   Event includes occurrence, but does not include any engagement or participation described in the Act, at 34 U.S.C. 10281(k)(1).

   Execution of a designation of beneficiary under the Act, at 34 U.S.C. 10281(a)(4)(A) means the legal and valid execution, by the public safety officer, of a writing that, designating a beneficiary, expressly, specifically, or unmistakably refers to—

7. (1) The Act (or the program it creates); or

8. (2) All the death benefits with respect to which such officer lawfully could designate a beneficiary (if there be no writing that satisfies paragraph (1) of this definition).

   Execution of a life insurance policy means, with respect to a life insurance policy, the legal and valid execution, by the individual whose life is insured thereunder, of—

9. (1) The approved application for coverage;
10. (2) A designation of beneficiary; or

11. (3) A designation of the mode of benefit.

    Life insurance policy on file—A life insurance policy is on file with a public safety agency, -organization, or -unit, only if—

12. (1) It is issued through (or on behalf of) the same; or

13. (2) The original (or a copy) of one of the following is deposited with the same by the public safety officer whose life is insured under the policy, for it to maintain with its personnel or similar records pertaining to him:

    1. (i) The policy (itself);
    2. (ii) The declarations page or -statement from the policy's issuer;
    3. (iii) A certificate of insurance (for group policies);
    4. (iv) Any instrument whose execution constitutes the execution of a life insurance policy; or

    5. (v) The substantial equivalent of any of the foregoing.

       Medical probability—A fact is indicated to a degree of medical probability, when, pursuant to a medical assessment, the fact is indicated by a preponderance of such evidence as may be available.

       Most recently executed designation of beneficiary under the Act, at 34 U.S.C. 10281(a)(4)(A) means the most recently executed such designation that, as of the date of death of the public safety officer, designates a beneficiary.

       Most recently executed life insurance policy of a public safety officer means the most recently executed policy insuring the life of a public safety officer that, being legal and valid (as a life insurance policy) upon its execution, as of the date of death of such officer—

    6. (1) Designates a beneficiary; and

    7. (2) Remains legally unrevoked (by such officer or by operation of law) or otherwise unterminated.

       Nonroutine strenuous physical activity means line of duty activity that—

    8. (1) Is not excluded by the Act, at 34 U.S.C. 10281(l);
    9. (2) Is not performed as a matter of routine; and

    10. (3) Entails an unusually-high level of physical exertion.

        Nonroutine stressful or strenuous physical activity means nonroutine stressful physical activity or nonroutine strenuous physical activity.

        Nonroutine stressful physical activity means line of duty activity that—

    11. (1) Is not excluded by the Act, at 34 U.S.C. 10281(l);
    12. (2) Is not performed as a matter of routine;
    13. (3) Entails non-negligible physical exertion; and

    14. (4) Occurs—

        1. (i) With respect to a situation in which a public safety officer is engaged, under circumstances that objectively and reasonably—

           1. (A) Pose (or appear to pose) significant dangers, threats, or hazards (or reasonably-foreseeable risks thereof), not faced by similarly-situated members of the public in the ordinary course; and
           2. (B) Provoke, cause, or occasion an unusually-high level of alarm, fear, or anxiety; or

        2. (ii) With respect to a training exercise in which a public safety officer participates, under circumstances that objectively and reasonably—

           1. (A) Simulate in realistic fashion situations that pose significant dangers, threats, or hazards; and

           2. (B) Provoke, cause, or occasion an unusually-high level of alarm, fear, or anxiety.

              Parent of a public safety officer means a public safety officer's surviving—

           3. (1) Biological or adoptive parent whose parental rights have not been terminated, as of the injury date; or

           4. (2) Step-parent.

              Participation in a training exercise—A public safety officer participates (as a trainer or trainee) in a training exercise only when actually taking formal part in a structured activity that itself is—

           5. (1) Within an official training (or -fitness) program of his public safety agency; and

           6. (2) Mandatory, rated (i.e., officially tested, -graded, -judged, -timed, etc.), or directly supervised, -proctored, or -monitored.

              Public safety organization or unit means—

           7. (1) The component of a public agency, in which component—

              1. (i) An individual described in the Act, at 34 U.S.C. 10284(9)(A), serves in an official capacity; or
              2. (ii) An employee described in the Act, at 34 U.S.C. 10284(9)(B) or (C) performs official duties; or

           8. (2) The component of an agency or entity, under the authority (or by the license) of which component a member of a rescue squad or ambulance crew engages in activity (or in the provision of services) described in the Act, at 34 U.S.C. 10284(9)(D).

              Routine—Neither of the following shall be dispositive in determining whether an activity or action shall be understood to have been performed as a matter of routine:

           9. (1) Being generally described by the public safety agency as routine or ordinary; or

           10. (2) The frequency with which it may be performed.

               Something other than the mere presence of cardiovascular disease risk factors means—

           11. (1) Ingestion of controlled substances included on Schedule I of the drug control and enforcement laws (see 21 U.S.C. 812(a)); or

           12. (2) Abuse of controlled substances included on Schedule II, III, IV, or V of the drug control and enforcement laws (see 21 U.S.C. 812(a)).

               Step-parent of a public safety officer means a current or former spouse of the legally-adoptive or biological parent (living or deceased) of a public safety officer conceived (or legally adopted) by that parent before the marriage of the spouse and the parent, which spouse (not being a legally-adoptive parent of the officer), as of the injury date,

           13. (1) Received over half of his support from the officer;
           14. (2) Had as his principal place of abode the home of the officer and was a member of the officer's household; or

           15. (3) Was in a child-parent relationship with the officer.

               Unrelated — A public safety officer's heart attack, stroke, or vascular rupture is unrelated to the officer's engagement in a situation or participation in a training exercise, when an independent event or occurrence is a substantial contributing factor in bringing the officer's heart attack, stroke, or vascular rupture about.

[61 FR 50213, Sept. 24, 1996, as amended at 73 FR 76832, Dec. 17, 2008; 83 FR 22384, May 15, 2018]