Ensuring Casualty Assistance for our Firefighters Act

This bill directs the Secretary of the Interior to develop a Wildland Fire Management Casualty Assistance Program within six months of its enactment. This program is designed to provide comprehensive support to the next-of-kin of wildland firefighters and support personnel who are critically injured, suffer illness, or are killed while in the line of duty. The program will address several critical aspects of casualty assistance. These include initial and subsequent notifications to next-of-kin, reimbursement for their travel expenses to visit injured or deceased personnel, and the establishment of clear guidelines for casualty assistance officers' qualifications, training, and duties. It also mandates centralized case management procedures , ensuring rapid access to expert case managers and counselors for survivors. Furthermore, the program requires the provision of personalized, integrated information on Federal benefits and financial assistance through a website and other means, at no cost to survivors. It also facilitates liaison with agencies like the Department of Justice and Social Security Administration to resolve benefit-related issues promptly. The bill clarifies that this program will not affect existing Line of Duty Death benefits and includes provisions for data collection on the quality of assistance provided.