As used in this subchapter—

(1) “catastrophic injury” means an injury, the direct and proximate consequences of which permanently prevent an individual from performing any gainful work;

(2) “chaplain” includes any individual serving as an officially recognized or designated member of a legally organized volunteer fire department or legally organized police department, or an officially recognized or designated public employee of a legally organized fire or police department who was responding to a fire, rescue, or police emergency;

“child” means any natural, illegitimate, adopted, or posthumous child or stepchild of a deceased or permanently and totally disabled public safety officer who, at the time of the public safety officer’s fatal or catastrophic injury, is—

(A) 18 years of age or under;

(B) over 18 years of age and a student as defined in section 8101 of title 5; or

(C) over 18 years of age and incapable of self-support because of physical or mental disability;

(4) “firefighter” includes an individual serving as an officially recognized or designated member of a legally organized volunteer fire department;

“intoxication” means a disturbance of mental or physical faculties resulting from the introduction of alcohol into the body as evidenced by—

(A) a post-injury blood alcohol level of .20 per centum or greater; or

(B) a post-injury blood alcohol level of at least .10 per centum but less than .20 per centum unless the Bureau receives convincing evidence that the public safety officer was not acting in an intoxicated manner immediately prior to his fatal or catastrophic injury;

(6) “law enforcement officer” means an individual involved in crime and juvenile delinquency control or reduction, or enforcement of the criminal laws (including juvenile delinquency).,[1] including, but not limited to, police, corrections, probation, parole, and judicial officers;

“member of a rescue squad or ambulance crew” means an officially recognized or designated employee or volunteer member of a rescue squad or ambulance crew (including a ground or air ambulance service) that—

(A) is a public agency; or

(B) is (or is a part of) a nonprofit entity serving the public that— (i) is officially authorized or licensed to engage in rescue activity or to provide emergency medical services; and (ii) engages in rescue activities or provides emergency medical services as part of an official emergency response system;

(8) “public agency” means the United States, any State of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands of the United States, Guam, American Samoa, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and any territory or possession of the United States, or any unit of local government, department, agency, or instrumentality of any of the foregoing; and

“public safety officer” means—

(A) an individual serving a public agency in an official capacity, with or without compensation, as a law enforcement officer, as a firefighter, or as a chaplain;

(B) an employee of the Federal Emergency Management Agency who is performing official duties of the Agency in an area, if those official duties— (i) are related to a major disaster or emergency that has been, or is later, declared to exist with respect to the area under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.); and (ii) are determined by the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to be hazardous duties;

(C) an employee of a State, local, or tribal emergency management or civil defense agency who is performing official duties in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency in an area, if those official duties— (i) are related to a major disaster or emergency that has been, or is later, declared to exist with respect to the area under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.); and (ii) are determined by the head of the agency to be hazardous duties;

(D) a member of a rescue squad or ambulance crew who, as authorized or licensed by law and by the applicable agency or entity, is engaging in rescue activity or in the provision of emergency medical services; or

(E) an individual appointed to the National Disaster Medical System under section 300hh–11 of title 42 who is performing official duties of the Department of Health and Human Services, if those official duties are— (i) related to responding to a public health emergency or potential public health emergency, or other activities for which the Secretary of Health and Human Services has activated such National Disaster Medical System; and (ii) determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to be hazardous.

(Pub. L. 90–351, title I, § 1204, formerly § 1203, as added Pub. L. 98–473, title II, § 609F, Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 2099; amended Pub. L. 99–500, § 101(b) [title II, § 207], Oct. 18, 1986, 100 Stat. 1783–39, 1783–56, and Pub. L. 99–591, § 101(b) [title II, § 207], Oct. 30, 1986, 100 Stat. 3341–39, 3341–56; renumbered § 1204 and amended Pub. L. 100–690, title VI, §§ 6105(d), 6106(a)(1), Nov. 18, 1988, 102 Stat. 4341; Pub. L. 101–647, title XIII, §§ 1301(c), 1302, Nov. 29, 1990, 104 Stat. 4834; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330001(e)(2), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2139; Pub. L. 106–390, title III, § 305(a), Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1573; Pub. L. 107–196, § 2(a), June 24, 2002, 116 Stat. 719; Pub. L. 109–162, title XI, § 1164(a), Jan. 5, 2006, 119 Stat. 3120; Pub. L. 109–295, title VI, § 612(c), Oct. 4, 2006, 120 Stat. 1410; Pub. L. 112–239, div. A, title X, § 1086(b)(1)(E), Jan. 2, 2013, 126 Stat. 1967; Pub. L. 116–22, title III, § 301(d)(2), June 24, 2019, 133 Stat. 933.)