Police officers and other public servants have different rules when it comes to workers’ compensation than general workers. The added benefits typically are much better than the public would get due to the nature of these jobs.
California Labor law outlines compensation standards for law enforcement officers injured on the job, which are not the same as for other workers.
Length of payments
An officer who suffers an injury that makes him or her unable to work would be eligible to receive payments under workers’ compensation. But the law also allows for them to be off work through a leave of absence with pay instead of taking disability payments for up to one year or until they get approval for retirement due to a permanent disability.
Payment amount
All injured officers will get full salary pay for up to a year after an injury. But if they remain injured and unable to work, workers’ compensation will kick in.
The calculation of how much pay an officer will receive is at least 50% of their average wages for the three years prior to the injury. There is the option for a settlement, which could result in a lower payment amount.
Law enforcement officers and firefighters have dangerous jobs. They are working for the public, which means they deserve a little more consideration than a typical worker may get through workers’ compensation. For this reason, they have special rules that make it easier to get payments for lost wages. An injured officer should not follow the guidelines of the standard workers’ compensation system because they are not accurate.