When a law enforcement officer suffers a catastrophic brain injury in the line of duty, the injury itself can make it nearly impossible to ask for help. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp addressed that cruel reality on May 6, 2026, signing House Bill 1128.

Sponsored by Representative Devan Seabaugh and a stated legislative priority of the Kemp administration, HB 1128 allows for a one-time reopening of the application window for officers who have sustained brain injuries to reapply for these benefits. It also amends Georgia code so that legal guardians are notified of those benefits. The Georgia State Indemnification Fund can pay up to $150,000 for brain damage suffered in the line of duty.

“The Kemp family will always back the blue, and I’m proud to sign legislation today that ensures they are supported throughout their careers of service and into retirement,” Governor Kemp said.

The bill corrects a painful catch-22 in which a brain injury can strip an officer of the very cognitive capacity needed to file a claim before a 24-month deadline expires. HB 1128 creates a special application window from July 1, 2026, to August 1, 2026, for public safety officers who suffered total permanent disability due to brain damage sustained in the line of duty on or before July 1, 2024, and whose capacity to apply was impaired by the injury. Unfortunately, some first responders didn’t previously know that they were eligible, which caused many to miss out on this money.

(Kemp has also championed related causes, as the same day he signed “Rio’s Law,” mandating autism-recognition training for police officers. In 2025, he signed the Dignity and Pay Act, which phased out subminimum wages for workers with disabilities. He also signed the GAME Act, in 2024, establishing a statewide framework to recruit and retain employees with disabilities in state government.)