ARTICLE 7. City Police and Firemen, Sheriffs, and Others [4850. - 4856.]

Cal. Labor Code - LAB 7.

in effect

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 4850. Section 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 the person’s duties, the person shall become entitled, regardless of the person’s 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, 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 the person 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 or by the City of San Diego. (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. (13) Peace officers, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 830.31 of the Penal Code, who are employed on a regular, full-time basis by a county of the eighth class as defined by Sections 28020 and 28029 of the Government Code. (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 adding this subdivision shall be applied retroactively to January 1, 2010.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 4850.3. Section 4850.3.

A city, county, special district, or harbor district that is a member of the Public Employees’ Retirement System, is subject to the County Employees Retirement Law of 1937, or is subject to the Los Angeles City Employees’ Retirement System, may make advanced disability pension payments to any local safety officer who has qualified for benefits under Section 4850 and is approved for a disability allowance. The payments shall be no less than 50 percent of the estimated highest average annual compensation earnable by the local safety officer during the three consecutive years of employment immediately preceding the effective date of his or her disability retirement, unless the local safety officer chooses an optional settlement in the permanent disability retirement application process which would reduce the pension allowance below 50 percent. In the case where the local safety officer’s choice lowers the disability pension allowance below 50 percent of average annual compensation as calculated, the advanced pension payments shall be set at an amount equal to the disability pension allowance. If a local agency has an adopted policy of paying for any accumulated sick leave after the safety officer is eligible for a disability allowance, the advanced disability pension payments under this section may only be made when the local safety officer has exhausted all sick leave payments. Advanced disability pension payments shall not be considered a salary under this or any other provision of law. All advanced disability pension payments made by a local agency with membership in the Public Employees’ Retirement System shall be reimbursed by the Public Employees’ Retirement System pursuant to Section 21293.1 of the Government Code.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 4850.4. Section 4850.4.

(a) A city, county, special district, or harbor district that is a member of the Public Employees’ Retirement System, is subject to the County Employees Retirement Law of 1937, or is subject to the Los Angeles City Employees’ Retirement Systems, shall make advanced disability pension payments in accordance with Section 4850.3 unless any of the following is applicable: (1) After an examination of the employee by a physician, the physician determines that there is no discernable injury to, or illness of, the employee. (2) The employee was incontrovertibly outside the course of his or her employment duties when the injury occurred. (3) There is proof of fraud associated with the filing of the employee’s claim. (b) Any employer described in subdivision (a) who is required to make advanced disability pension payments, shall make the payments commencing no later than 30 days from the date of issuance of the last disbursed of the following: (1) The employee’s last regular payment of wages or salary. (2) The employee’s last payment of benefits under Section 4850. (3) The employee’s last payment for sick leave. (c) The advanced disability payments shall continue until the claimant is approved or disapproved for a disability allowance pursuant to final adjudication as provided by law. (d) An employer described in subdivision (a) shall be required to make advanced disability pension payments only if the employee does all of the following: (1) Files an application for disability retirement at least 60 days prior to the payment of benefits pursuant to subdivision (a). (2) Fully cooperates in providing the employer with medical information and in attending all statutorily required medical examinations and evaluations set by the employer. (3) Fully cooperates with the evaluation process established by the retirement plan. (e) The 30-day period for the commencement of payments pursuant to subdivision (b) shall be tolled by whatever period of time is directly related to the employee’s failure to comply with the provisions of subdivision (d). (f) After final adjudication, if an employee’s disability application is denied, the local agency and the employee shall arrange for the employee to repay any advanced disability pension payments received by the employee pursuant to this subdivision. The repayment plan shall take into account the employee’s ability to repay the advanced disability payments received. Absent an agreement on repayment, the matter shall be submitted for a local agency administrative appeals remedy that includes an independent level of resolution to determine a reasonable repayment plan. If repayment is not made according to the repayment plan, the local agency may take reasonable steps, including litigation, to recover the payments advanced.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 4850.5. Section 4850.5.

Any firefighter employed by the County of San Luis Obispo, and the sheriff or any officer or employee of the sheriff’s office of the County of San Luis Obispo, and any county probation officer, group counselor, or juvenile services officer, or any officer or employee of a probation office, employed by the County of San Luis Obispo, shall, upon the adoption of a resolution of the board of supervisors so declaring, be entitled to the benefits of this article, if otherwise entitled to these benefits, even though the employee is not a member of the Public Employees’ Retirement System or subject to the County Employees Retirement Law of 1937 (Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 31450) of Part 3 of Division 4 of Title 3 of the Government Code).

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 4850.7. Section 4850.7.

(a) Any firefighter employed by a dependent or independent fire district may be entitled to the benefits of this article, if otherwise entitled to these benefits, even though the employee is not a member of the Public Employees’ Retirement System or subject to the County Employees Retirement Law of 1937 (Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 31450) of Part 3 of Division 4 of Title 3 of the Government Code). (b) The issue of whether the firefighters employed by a fire district are entitled to the benefits of this article is subject to Article 10 (commencing with Section 3500) of Chapter 3 of Division 4 of Title 1 of the Government Code. (c) If the governing body of the district agrees that the benefits shall apply, it shall adopt a resolution to that effect.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 4851. Section 4851.

The governing body of any city, county, or city and county, in addition to anyone else properly entitled, including the Public Employees’ Retirement System, may request the appeals board to determine in any case, and the appeals board shall determine, whether or not the disability referred to in Section 4850 arose out of and in the course of duty. The appeals board shall also, in any disputed case, determine when the disability commenced and ceased, and the amount of benefits provided by this division to which the employee is entitled during the period of the disability. The appeals board shall have jurisdiction to award and enforce payment of these benefits pursuant to Part 4 (commencing with Section 5300).

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 4852. Section 4852.

The provisions of this article do not diminish or affect the right of any such officer or employee to the medical, surgical, and hospital benefits prescribed by this division.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 4853. Section 4853.

Whenever such disability of any such officer or employee continues for a period beyond one year, such member shall thereafter be subject as to disability indemnity to the provisions of this division other than Section 4850 during the remainder of the period of said disability or until the effective date of his retirement under the Public Employees’ Retirement Act, and the leave of absence shall continue.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 4854. Section 4854.

No disability indemnity shall be paid to any such officer or employee concurrently with wages or salary payments.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 4855. Section 4855.

This article shall not be applicable to individuals who are appointed as reserve public safety employees and are deemed to be employees of a county, city, town or district for workmen’s compensation purposes pursuant to Section 3362.

Cal. Labor Code - LAB § 4856. Section 4856.

(a) Whenever any local employee who is a firefighter, peace officer as described in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2 of the Penal Code, or a Sheriff’s Special Officer of the County of Orange, is killed in the performance of their duty or dies as a result of an accident or injury caused by external violence or physical force incurred in the performance of their duty, the employer shall continue providing health benefits to the deceased employee’s spouse under the same terms and conditions provided prior to the death, or prior to the accident or injury that caused the death, of the employee unless the surviving spouse elects to receive a lump-sum survivors benefit in lieu of monthly benefits. Minor dependents shall continue to receive benefits under the coverage provided the surviving spouse or, if there is no surviving spouse, until 26 years of age. However, pursuant to Section 22822 of the Government Code, the surviving spouse may not add the new spouse or stepchildren as family members under the continued health benefits coverage of the surviving spouse. (b) Subdivision (a) also applies to the employer of any local employee who is a firefighter, or peace officer as described in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2 of the Penal Code, who was killed in the performance of their duty or who died as a result of an accident or injury caused by external violence or physical force incurred in the performance of their duty prior to September 30, 1996.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026