H.R. 4671 directs the Secretary of the Interior to create a comprehensive Casualty Assistance Program for wildland firefighters and support personnel who are killed, critically injured, or become ill while on duty. Within six months of enactment, the program must establish procedures for notifying next-of-kin, reimbursing families for travel expenses to visit injured or deceased workers, training casualty assistance officers, and providing centralized case management and counseling services. The bill also requires the Interior Department to provide free, online information to survivors about available federal benefits and establish a complaint mechanism, while coordinating with the Justice Department and Social Security Administration to ensure survivors receive all entitled benefits. The legislation does not specify dedicated funding amounts or timelines beyond the initial six-month development period, and it explicitly preserves existing Line of Duty Death benefits for federal firefighters. Next-of-kin are defined in a priority order starting with surviving spouses, then children, parents, siblings, grandparents, and other relatives.
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