The benefits of this subchapter are available as provided in this subchapter to eligible law enforcement officers (referred to in this subchapter as “eligible officers”) and their survivors. For the purposes of this subchapter, an eligible officer is any person who is determined by the Secretary of Labor in his discretion to have been on any given occasion—
(1) a law enforcement officer and to have been engaged on that occasion in the apprehension or attempted apprehension of any person—
(2)
a law enforcement officer and to have been engaged on that occasion in protecting or guarding a person held for the commission of a crime against the United States or as a material witness in connection with such a crime; or
(3)
a law enforcement officer and to have been engaged on that occasion in the lawful prevention of, or lawful attempt to prevent, the commission of a crime against the United States;
and to have been on that occasion not an employee as defined in section 8101(1), and to have sustained on that occasion a personal injury for which the United States would be required under subchapter I of this chapter to pay compensation if he had been on that occasion such an employee engaged in the performance of his duty. No person otherwise eligible to receive a benefit under this subchapter because of the disability or death of an eligible officer shall be barred from the receipt of such benefit because the person apprehended or attempted to be apprehended by such officer was then sought for the commission of a crime against a sovereignty other than the United States.
(Added Pub. L. 90–291, § 1(a), Apr. 19, 1968, 82 Stat. 98; amended Pub. L. 90–623, § 1(20), Oct. 22, 1968, 82 Stat. 1313.)