(a) Any full-time bargaining unit employee who has reported an on the job injury to his department head within twenty-four hours of the injury and becomes temporarily or permanently disabled as a result of those injuries shall be entitled to full pay during the time in which such disability continues up to a maximum of thirty calendar days per injury, provided however, if the injury is not reported the advancement shall be denied.
(b) Any employee off work due to a work related injury shall be entitled to all insurance coverage provided for in Section 145.07 for up to a period of one year after the commencement of such disability leave. Longevity pay and holiday pay shall not be paid for the time an employee is off work on a work related injury and not being paid by the City. Benefits earned while in active employment with the City shall be pro-rated up until the time the employee went off the payroll due to the on the job injury. An employee using his accrued sick leave shall continue to receive all benefits of an active full-time employee.
(c) An employee off work for an illness or injury which is work related shall retain reinstatement rights to his position for a period of up to three years following the commencement of his disability leave.
(d) Any full-time employee of the City, becoming disabled and utilizing the provisions of this section shall be required to present to the department head and the claims section of the Finance Department certification from the attending physician of the disabled employee, certifying to the fact such employee is disabled, the nature of the injury, that such disability occurred as a result of injuries sustained in the line of duty, and whether or not such disability is permanent or partial, and in the event that such disability is of a partial nature, whether or not the injured employee is capable of performing any type of work, the kind of work able to be performed, and an estimated date the disabled employee shall be able to return to work.
(e) In the event that the disabled employee is certified by the attending physician as being partially disabled, and in the event that such attending physician shall certify that the disabled employee is able to perform certain light work, then such employee shall be required during the period of partial disability to perform whatever services permitted by the attending physician during that period of disability.
(f) In the event that any full-time employee of the City becomes permanently or partially disabled while in the line of duty, such employee shall be required to file his/her application for benefits with the Bureau of Worker's Compensation for approval of benefits as soon as physically able to do so. Upon approval of benefits to such injured employee the employee shall be required to payback to the City the money that was paid at the regular rate of payment they received from Worker's Compensation from the first payment they received up to the maximum of the thirty calendar days that were allowed. When such employee has filed an application for Worker's Compensation and the application has: (1) not been disallowed; and (2) been pending for more than thirty calendar days, then the City shall continue to pay such an employee in wages an amount equal to the rate then and there allowed by Worker's compensation. If however, such claim for temporary total disability for Worker's Compensation be ultimately disallowed, then the City shall be reimbursed all injury on duty pay so advanced. If and when the employee returns to work such reimbursement shall be withheld at the rate of twenty-five percent (25%) of his regular salary (per pay period) until the total amount of the advancement is repaid to the City.
(g) In the event that the disability of an employee of the City shall be of a permanent nature, to the extent that such permanency means total disability that shall prevent the disabled employee from returning to his position on a full-time basis within three years from the date of the original work related injury the position shall be declared vacant and the employee shall be terminated as an employee of the City and his benefits from the City shall cease, but this shall not affect his/her claim with Worker's Compensation or the payment received from Worker's Compensation.
(h) The injured employee shall sign a medical release granting the City authorization to obtain any and all medical information pertaining to his/her work related injury. Failure to sign the release shall result in the City's advancement being denied.
(Ord. 1991-12. Passed 2-12-91.)