Any condition of impairment of health caused by hypertension or heart disease resulting in total or partial disability or death to a member of the Division of State Police within the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection who successfully passed a physical examination on entry into such service, which examination failed to reveal any evidence of such condition, shall be presumed to have been suffered in the performance of his duty and shall be compensable in accordance with the provisions of section 5-142 for a period of three months. If, at the end of that period, the administrator of the state's workers' compensation claims wishes to contest whether the disability occurred in the actual performance of police duty, as defined in subsection (a) of section 5-142, he shall notify the member of his decision. The member or the employee organization may then bring the matter before the workers' compensation commissioner of the appropriate district to determine if the disability is compensable under chapter 568 or subsection (a) of section 5-142. A member who has suffered such total or partial disability shall have the right to elect to receive either (1) the compensation indicated in section 5-142, or (2) the benefits produced under chapter 568 and the state employees retirement system, but not both. The provisions of subsection (a) of section 5-142 shall apply with regard to the timing of such election.

(1959, P.A. 246, S. 1; P.A. 77-614, S. 486, 610; P.A. 85-510, S. 1, 35; P.A. 11-51, S. 134.)

History: P.A. 77-614 made state police department a division within the department of public safety, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 85-510 added provisions re compensation for disability and deleted provision that nothing in this section shall be construed to affect the provisions of chapter 568; pursuant to P.A. 11-51, “Department of Public Safety” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection”, effective July 1, 2011.

State police trooper employed by department does not have an election of remedies as between Sec. 5-145a and this section; rather, trooper must proceed under this section. 70 CA 321.