More than a year and a half after U.S. Capitol Police officer Howard “Howie” Liebengood died by suicide in the aftermath of the violent January 6 Capitol insurrection, the Department of Justice has designated his death as having occurred in the line of duty. This recognition means that his family will be entitled to benefits under the Public Safety Officer Benefits Program — an outcome they have been fighting for since his death.

“The determination is significant, healing, relieving, and we are grateful for it,” wrote Liebengood’s wife Serena Liebengood and siblings Anne Winters and John Liebengood in a statement. “Anyone who knew Howie knew he was kind-hearted and fiercely loyal. We all desperately miss his one-of-a-kind smile and his warm, gentle temperament, but we take some solace in knowing that Howie has officially received this well-deserved honor.”

Liebengood died a few days after the insurrection in January of 2021. In an op-ed published on the anniversary of the insurrection, his wife Serena said that in addition to working to defend the U.S. Capitol that day, he worked “nearly around the clock” on January 7, 8, and 9, barely sleeping between shifts.

“Sleep-deprived and exhausted, my husband took his life the night of Jan. 9,” wrote Serena Liebengood. “If it had not been for the events of Jan. 6 and the unremitting work schedule on the ensuing days, I believe my husband would still be here.”

Serena Liebengood said that the proper designation of her husband’s death was part of a broader push for acknowledgment of the mental health struggles of law enforcement.

“I’m still picking up the pieces of my broken heart, but I’m also determined to bring positive change to the institutions that failed my Howie – not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because it’s what Howie would have wanted,” Liebengood wrote in the op-ed.

Over the summer, Congress passed legislation expanding access to benefits for families of law enforcement officers who die by suicide after experiencing a traumatic event on the job. The bill, which President Biden signed into law, also expands access to benefits for law enforcement officers who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder on the job. That legislation paved the way for Liebengood’s death to be recognized as having been in the line of duty — and for his family to receive the associated compensation.

Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, one of the sponsors of that legislation, applauded the Justice Department’s decision in a written statement his office issued on Monday.

“Officer Howie Liebengood was often one of the very first people I saw at the Capitol every day and was well known to my entire staff. It was clear that being a U.S. Capitol Police Officer was more than a job to him—he was a man who dedicated his life to serving others and spent 15 years defending the halls of democracy,” wrote Kaine. “We have a responsibility to carry with us his spirit of service and to give his family the recognition and unwavering support they deserve. That’s why I urged the Department of Justice to approve Public Safety Officers’ Benefits for his wife Serena. I am gratified she’s getting those much-deserved benefits today.”

Liebengood’s family called the designation for Howie “an important step in a longer effort to change outdated processes and attitudes.” They also said they hope the designation will help other families who have lost loved ones to suicide.

“We look forward to continuing to reduce the stigma around mental health and suicide for public safety officers — who make sacrifices for us all,” wrote his wife and siblings in their statement.

Liebengood is one of four officers with local police departments to die by suicide after responding to the January 6 insurrection. Shortly after the insurrection, Metropolitan Police Department officer Jeffrey Smith died by suicide. Over the next 6 months, two other MPD officers — Kyle DeFreytag and Gunther Hashida — died by suicide.

In March, after months of advocacy from Jeffrey Smith’s family, D.C.’s Police and Firefighters’ Retirement and Relief Board reversed a previous decision to deny them the survivors’ benefits associated with a death in the line of duty. The family’s lawyer told CNN, which broke the news, that it was the first time in memory that a D.C. police officer’s death by suicide was determined to be a line of duty death.

If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, the number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 988.