Billings Couple Lands Huge Win for Wounded Police Officers
BLUF (Bottom line up front): Disabled police officers wounded on duty will no longer be taxed on their disability payments by the IRS thanks to the efforts of a Montana family.
Background: I first read her story in the Yellowstone Valley Woman magazine. We then talked with Heidi Paulson LIVE on the radio, and I wrote a story about her battle to help wounded police officers back in 2019.
The reality is that Heidi and Ladd Paulson have been fighting this battle for over 20 years, since Heidi's husband Ladd was severely wounded while on duty as a police officer in Billings, Montana.
Here's what I wrote back in May of 2019:
Can you believe it? Let's say a police officer gets wounded on the job. They end up having to basically medically retire due to their injuries. Fortunately, their pension is tax free. That is, until they hit retirement age. Then, the government decides to hit them with a major tax bill.
Sounds like a quick fix, right? Not necessarily. But luckily, a Montana woman, whose husband was seriously injured while on the job as a Billings police officer, is taking up the fight for our great first responders and their families.
Here's the good news:
Thanks to years of work by the Paulson family and efforts by Montana Senator Steve Daines (R-MT), disabled police officers wounded on duty will no longer be taxed on their disability payments by the IRS. Daines was able to get his bill, the "Put First Responders First", signed into law.
You've got to hear the back story on what finally got this legislation across the finish line. Here's the full audio of our chat with Heidi and Ladd Paulson (starts halfway through the below audio file):