Texas Senator pushes for answers on benefits for wounded Santa Fe ISD officer

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz is urging the Department of Justice to make a decision on whether former Santa Fe ISD police officer John Barnes is entitled to certain federal benefits. Barnes was the first to confront the gunman during the mass shooting at Santa Fe High School in 2018.

The Evidence Room | KPRC 2 Investigates

Barnes was hit in the arm with a blast from a shotgun and nearly bled to death. His arm suffered permanent damage and forced Barnes to medically retire from law enforcement. As KPRC 2 Investigates has reported, Barnes has been fighting for benefits since the shooting.

After the shooting, Barnes applied to the federal Public Safety Officers’ Benefits program. Barnes has yet to receive an answer from PSOB as to whether he qualifies for this benefit.

SEE ALSO: Six years after mass shooting, wounded Santa Fe ISD police officer still fighting for benefits

“You’re making financial decisions and putting things off because you’re waiting for them to give you an answer on this benefit,” Barnes told KPRC 2 in May.

The PSOB was created in 1976 to provide a one-time financial benefit to the families of first responders killed in the line of duty. In 1990 the program expanded to include those first responders who suffered catastrophic injuries in the line of duty. According to a fact sheet from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, more than 1,200 claims are submitted yearly to PSOB.

On Friday, Cruz sent a letter to the director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Karhlton Moore, urging the office to make a decision on Barnes’ case.

SEE ALSO: Santa Fe mass shooting civil trial postponed, DA’s office to hand over some information from criminal case

“Mr. Barnes demonstrated extraordinary bravery, confronting the gunman, and sustaining a severe shotgun wound that permanently damaged his arm,” Cruz wrote. “Despite his sacrifice, Mr. Barnes has been met with bureaucratic hurdles and an unacceptably long wait-time for a decision on his PSOB application.”

This letter follows a proposed law filed last month by Cruz and U.S. Rep. Randy Weber/(R) Tx-14th Dist. that would set a 270-day deadline for deciding claims filed with PSOB.

Barnes’ interview with KPRC 2 Investigates was included in an episode of our original docu-series, The Evidence Room.

You can watch The Long Hallway below or on our KPRC2+ streaming app.