Law Enforcement and Firefighters benefits under Labor Code § 4850
Generally, an injured worker is entitled to temporary total disability benefits for the amount of 66% of his/her gross wages for maximum of two years. However, if you meet the requirements of Labor Code § 4850 instead of receiving 66% or your wages you will be receiving a non taxable salary continuation for one year. Implied within the salary continuation is the continued provision of health care benefits and pension contribution. As such, during the period you are receiving the salary continuation benefit under Labor Code § 4850, you do not have to pay for your health insurance or pay for your pension, Basically, you will continue receiving your regular salary subject to your normal deductions which they are normally come out of your paycheck.
Since the injured worker is entitled to two years of temporary benefit and in case you exceeded the one year salary continuation period under Labor Code § 4850 time, and continue to be totally temporarily disabled, you will be placed on State Rate of 66% for the second year. Therefore for the second year you may be obligated to pay for health insurance benefits. Also the pension contributions may be terminated as well.
Frequently asked questions regarding Labor Code § 4850:
Who is eligible under Labor Code § 4850?
The follow persons are eligible under Labor Code § 4850:
(1) City police officers.
(2) City, county, or district firefighters.
(3) Sheriffs.
(4) Officers or employees of any sheriff’s offices.
(5) Inspectors, investigators, detectives, or personnel with comparable titles in any district attorney’s office.
(6) County probation officers, group counselors, or juvenile services officers.
(7) Officers or employees of a probation office.
(8) Peace officers under Section 830.31 of the Penal Code employed on a regular, full-time basis by a county of the first class.
(9) Lifeguards employed year round on a regular, full-time basis by a county of the first class.
(10) Airport law enforcement officers under subdivision (d) of Section 830.33 of the Penal Code.
(11) Harbor or port police officers, wardens, or special officers of a harbor or port district or city or county harbor department under subdivision (a) of Section 830.1 or subdivision (b) of Section 830.33 of the Penal Code.
(12) Police officers of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Who is eligible under Labor Code § 4850?
Answer: Employees of a police department, county sheriff’s office, county probation office, and city fire department, county fire department, or fire district whose principal duties are those of a telephone operator, clerk, stenographer, machinist, mechanic, or otherwise, and whose functions do not clearly fall within the scope of active law enforcement service are not eligible under Labor Code section 4850. .
If I am qualified under Labor Code § 4850 benefits, what do I collect?
Answer: You are entitled to salary continuation. As such, you should be able to collect your normal salary as non-taxable income subject to your normal deductions you pay every pay period
How long the Labor Code § 4850 Time?
Answer: Labor Code § 4850 Time is maximum one year from the date of injury. It is a one year of salary continuation provided that you are totally temporary disable.
What if I suffered new injury while I am receiving Labor Code § 4850 Time?
Answer: If you suffered a new injury, a new Labor Code § 4850 period is created and a new year of eligibility should begin. If the injured worker file two concurrent claims and the worker is disabled on both injuries concurrently, generally, the claims administrator most likely would argue that the temporary disability benefits is running concurrently and thereby limit the Labor Code § 4850 exposure.
How do the benefits under Labor Code § 4850 Time terminate?
Answer: There are different reasons causes the benefit to be terminated.
- Your benefit under Labor Code § 4850 should terminate if the you receives one year of paid benefits. In case you continue to be totally temporarily disabled after the end of the one year of the salary continuation, you will continue to receive benefits at the normal State Rate of 66% of your gross salary.
- Your benefit under Labor Code § 4850 stops if you are terminated from your employment,
- Your benefit under Labor Code § 4850 if you resign from your employment,
- Your benefit under Labor Code § 4850 if you start receiving permanent disability pension retirement benefits.
- Your benefit under Labor Code § 4850 stops if you are released back to full or modified duties.
- Your benefit under Labor Code § 4850 stops if your injury becomes permanent and stationary.
If I resigned or my employment was terminated during my Labor Code § 4850 Time, do I still continue to receive my salary continuation benefits under Labor Code § 4850?
Answer: Generally, resignation or termination of employment bar the receipt of salary continuation under Labor Code § 4850.
What is the effect ot Retirement on my benefits under Labor Code § 4850?
Answer: In case a member is granted a pension or received an advanced payment of pension while he/she is receiving salary continuation under Labor Code § 4850 this may trigger the termination of the benefits under the Labor Code § 4850.
Please find below the content of Labor Code § 4850:
(a) Whenever any person listed in subdivision (b), who is employed on a regular, full-time basis, and is disabled, whether temporarily or permanently, by injury or illness arising out of and in the course of his or her duties, he or she shall become entitled, regardless of his or her period of service with the city, county, or district, to a leave of absence while so disabled without loss of salary in lieu of temporary disability payments or maintenance allowance payments under Section 139.5, if any, that would be payable under this chapter, for the period of the disability, but not exceeding one year, or until that earlier date as he or she is retired on permanent disability pension, and is actually receiving disability pension payments, or advanced disability pension payments pursuant to Section 4850.3.
(b) The persons eligible under subdivision (a) include all of the following:
(1) City police officers.
(2) City, county, or district firefighters.
(3) Sheriffs.
(4) Officers or employees of any sheriff’s offices.
(5) Inspectors, investigators, detectives, or personnel with comparable titles in any district attorney’s office.
(6) County probation officers, group counselors, or juvenile services officers.
(7) Officers or employees of a probation office.
(8) Peace officers under Section 830.31 of the Penal Code employed on a regular, full-time basis by a county of the first class.
(9) Lifeguards employed year round on a regular, full-time basis by a county of the first class.
(10) Airport law enforcement officers under subdivision (d) of Section 830.33 of the Penal Code.
(11) Harbor or port police officers, wardens, or special officers of a harbor or port district or city or county harbor department under subdivision (a) of Section 830.1 or subdivision (b) of Section 830.33 of the Penal Code.
(12) Police officers of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
(c) This section shall apply only to persons listed in subdivision (b) who meet the requirements of subdivision (a), and shall not include any of the following:
(1) Employees of a police department whose principal duties are those of a telephone operator, clerk, stenographer, machinist, mechanic, or otherwise, and whose functions do not clearly fall within the scope of active law enforcement service.
(2) Employees of a county sheriff’s office whose principal duties are those of a telephone operator, clerk, stenographer, machinist, mechanic, or otherwise, and whose functions do not clearly come within the scope of active law enforcement service.
(3) Employees of a county probation office whose principal duties are those of a telephone operator, clerk, stenographer, machinist, mechanic, or otherwise, and whose functions do not clearly come within the scope of active law enforcement service.
(4) Employees of a city fire department, county fire department, or fire district whose principal duties are those of a telephone operator, clerk, stenographer, machinist, mechanic, or otherwise, and whose functions do not clearly fall within the scope of active firefighting and prevention service.
(d) If the employer is insured, the payments that, except for this section, the insurer would be obligated to make as disability indemnity to the injured, the insurer may pay to the insured.
(e) No leave of absence taken pursuant to this section by a peace officer, as defined by Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2 of the Penal Code, or by a city, county, or district firefighter, shall be deemed to constitute family care and medical leave, as defined in Section 12945.2 of the Government Code, or to reduce the time authorized for family care and medical leave by Section 12945.2 of the Government Code.
(f) This section shall not apply to any persons described in paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (b) who are employees of the City and County of San Francisco.
(g) Amendments to subdivision (f) made by the act [FN1] adding this subdivision shall be applied retroactively to January 1, 2010.
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