Virginia Deputy’s Death Sparks Push For Benefit Reform

On the morning of May 24, 2024, the Prater family’s world changed forever. Scott Prater, a veteran Smyth County Sheriff’s Deputy, lost his long and arduous battle with metastatic gastric cancer at just 52 years old. His wife, Angie, and their two daughters were by his side in his final moments, holding onto him as he struggled to speak. "He just reached for me because he couldn’t really talk well and he just grabbed me and he just held onto me," Angie recalled in an interview with Cardinal News. It was a moment that marked not just the end of Scott’s life, but the beginning of a new, uncertain chapter for his family.

Scott Prater’s journey through illness began a few years earlier, when he started experiencing persistent gastrointestinal issues. His stomach grew larger, his hip began to ache, and doctors soon diagnosed him with a cancer that had already spread to his stomach, hip, and arm. The subsequent months were filled with chemotherapy and radiation as Scott and his family clung to hope, even as they understood the odds were not in their favor. Throughout much of 2023, Scott was in and out of the hospital, fighting to hold the disease at bay.

By October 2023, the treatments appeared to offer a reprieve. Scott regained some strength, and by January 2024, he was back at the sheriff’s office, serving as a school resource officer. He even found the energy to coach girls softball at Chilhowie High School, a testament to his enduring commitment to his community and his family. But fate had another challenge in store. On March 4, 2024, after feeling unwell for several days, Scott was diagnosed with COVID-19. "He got COVID at work," Angie said, explaining how the virus forced him to miss crucial cancer treatments and accelerated his decline.

Within weeks, an MRI revealed the cancer had reached Scott’s brain. Doctors scrambled to juggle radiation and chemotherapy, but the disease advanced relentlessly. By May 2024, Scott was hospitalized again. "They told us that day that there was nothing else they could do for him," Angie said. The family gathered at his bedside, knowing the end was near. Two days after Scott was laid to rest, Angie’s insurance was abruptly cut off. She had hoped to maintain the benefits her family relied on through the Line of Duty Act (LODA), but soon discovered that, under current law, local law enforcement officers and their families are not eligible for such support.

The Line of Duty Act, enacted in 1972, was designed to provide disability, death, and health benefits to eligible employees and their families if a law enforcement officer, firefighter, or emergency medical worker is killed or disabled on the job. But for local law enforcement like Scott, this safety net remains out of reach. "We’re down to one income, and paying for insurance is ridiculous because insurance is so expensive," Angie shared, her frustration palpable. Sheriff Chip Shuler called the situation "heartbreaking," adding, "It’s discouraging really, to her and all of us because we do all we can to try to keep the public safe."

Scott Prater’s career was defined by service and sacrifice. For two decades, he worked as a narcotics investigator, often collaborating with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration to dismantle methamphetamine labs. The work was hazardous, exposing him to a toxic cocktail of chemicals—sulfuric acid, off-gases from meth labs, and more—that both Angie and Sheriff Shuler believe played a direct role in his fatal cancer. "They get special training and equipment from the DEA but they’re exposed," Shuler told Cardinal News. "He’s exposed for years and years and years to chemicals, sulfuric acid. Just the off gases of methamphetamine labs is toxic in itself and you can equip all you can but you can’t always be 100% safe with this stuff."

Despite the risks, Scott’s application for workers’ compensation was denied by the state, which did not recognize his cancer as work-related. Angie insists there was no family history of cancer, and she remembers Scott’s meticulous habits—coming home and immediately washing his work clothes to protect his loved ones. "Into the depths of my soul I believe it was the meth labs that gave him this cancer," she said. The denial of benefits left the Prater family not only grieving but also facing significant financial hardship.

Moved by their plight, freshman Delegate Mitchell Cornett of Grayson County introduced HB 130 during the 2026 General Assembly session. The bill sought to amend Virginia’s workers’ compensation statutes to add sheriffs and deputy sheriffs to the list of those entitled to a cancer presumption—essentially, making it easier for families like the Praters to access LODA benefits if their loved ones develop cancer from job-related exposures. "Sheriffs and deputies face long-term exposure risks through narcotics investigations, evidence handling, and task force work often in unstable environments, sometimes without knowing what they were breathing in or touching at the time," Cornett explained. "This bill doesn’t end with Deputy Prater’s story; it brings attention to the day-to-day realities of sheriff’s work across the commonwealth, especially in rural Virginia. They’re often filling gaps when resources are stretched thin."

However, HB 130 was set aside by the Appropriations, Compensation and Retirement subcommittee on February 3, 2026. Subcommittee Chair Alex Askew, D-Virginia Beach, praised the intent behind the legislation but urged Cornett to rework and reintroduce it in 2027, citing concerns about potential financial burdens on local governments. Cornett did not respond to inquiries about whether he would pursue the bill again next session.

The debate over how to honor and support fallen first responders is not confined to Virginia. On February 4, 2026, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham introduced the Medal of Sacrifice Act at the federal level, in collaboration with former President Donald Trump and U.S. Representative Brian Mast. The legislation would create a national award recognizing law enforcement officers and first responders killed in the line of duty. "Our law enforcement officers and first responders represent some of the best and bravest among us. These men and women selflessly put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe. If these law enforcement officers and first responders perish in the line of duty, that sacrifice deserves the highest level of recognition," said Graham, as reported by WPDE. The act has garnered support from the National Police Association and the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, among others. Representative Mast expressed confidence, stating, "With his support in the Senate, I have no doubt we will get the Medal of Sacrifice Act to the President’s desk swiftly and start to recognize those who put their lives on the line to protect us."

For families like the Praters, these legislative efforts are more than symbolic gestures. They represent a chance for recognition, support, and closure after unimaginable loss. Angie Prater, reflecting on her husband’s legacy, voiced a sentiment shared by many survivors: "I think he has a right to be on that wall of heroes in Richmond," she said, referencing the Commonwealth Public Safety Memorial on Capitol Square. "You just feel like he was just shunned off because he wasn’t shot with a gun or anything like that. He was killed long and hard but it’s like his life didn’t matter."

The struggle for recognition and benefits for fallen first responders continues, both in Virginia and nationwide. As lawmakers debate the best way forward, the stories of families like the Praters serve as a powerful reminder of the sacrifices made—and the urgent need for meaningful support.