The Virginia Line of Duty Act (LODA) was established in Title 9.1-400 of the Code of Virginia and enacted in 1972. This program provides benefits to eligible family members of eligible employees and volunteers killed in the line of duty and to those eligible employees and volunteers disabled in the line of duty and their eligible family members.

Funding of LODA benefits is provided by employers in one of two ways:

  • Participation in the Line of Duty Death and Health Benefits Trust Fund (LODA Fund), administered by the Virginia Retirement System.
  • Self-funding by the employer or through an insurance company.

Administration

Effective July 1, 2017, the Administration of the program was shifted to the Virginia Retirement System (VRS) and the Department of Human Resource Management (DHRM). VRS makes all eligibility determinations for LODA benefits and also issues benefit payments on behalf of LODA Fund participating employers. The Virginia Department of Human Resource Management (DHRM) administers the LODA Health Benefits Plans. VRS and DHRM are dedicated to ensuring claimants or their beneficiaries receive the best possible service as they submit a claim.

  • Did You Know? The Code of Virginia requires employers to train all LODA-eligible employees. The first training must happen within 30 days of being hired and then every two years thereafter. The LODA Overview for Participants satisfies this training requirement. You can direct individual employees to this website to watch the recorded presentation or you can play it for a group of employees to attend in person. This training provides an overview of disability benefits, death benefits, health benefits and how to submit a claim to VRS.

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