Notwithstanding any provision of this part to the contrary, a retired state safety or state peace officer/firefighter member who, before January 1, 1986, was eligible for an industrial disability allowance and was living on or after December 30, 1989, but elected, instead, for a nonindustrial disability allowance may elect for an industrial disability retirement allowance. A change in retirement status pursuant to this section does not, in itself, constitute a basis for a change in the optional settlement or the beneficiary designation. The industrial disability allowance shall be calculated as if former Section 21293.5, as repealed by Chapter 557 of the Statutes of 1985, was never enacted and in no event shall be in an amount less than his or her nonindustrial disability allowance.

The allowance elected pursuant to this section shall be paid only on and after the effective date of the election and nothing in this section shall be construed as providing for any increase in benefits payable prior to the effective date of the election, or for any claim for the increase. The effective date of an election shall be no earlier than the first day of the month following the month in which the election is received by the board.

Any state safety member who applies for an election pursuant to this section shall have the burden of proving that he or she was, by competent medical evidence, industrially disabled at retirement and the duties of his or her job at retirement.

The board has no duty to identify, locate, or notify any annuitant who may be eligible for the benefits provided by this section.

(Added by Stats. 1995, Ch. 379, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 1996.)