§3178. Pensions and benefits

A. The secretary of the said board of trustees shall keep in books provided for the purpose, a full and complete record of all proceedings of the board of trustees particularly with reference to investment of funds belonging to the Pension and Relief Fund as hereinafter provided. He shall file and keep all correspondence of the board, keep minutes of all its meetings, and shall perform such other duties as may be assigned him by the board of trustees, including the preparation of warrants for the various disbursements from the said fund and keeping of an accurate record thereof. The said board of trustees shall fix at its discretion a salary to be received by the secretary as compensation for his services.

B. The secretary shall keep a service record of each member of the fire department which shall show his age, date of entry in the department, interruptions of his service, and the cause thereof, whether by injury, illness, disciplinary suspension, voluntary resignation and re-appointment. He shall keep the records of the board, lists of retired members receiving pensions, and shall have posted in each fire house, at least once a year, a list of pensioners and members receiving disability pay and a summary of the audit of his accounts made by the board accountant.

C. The board of trustees shall be required to allot and pay disability payments, retirement and death benefits as follows:

(1) To any member of the fire department who shall be determined to be totally and permanently disabled from performing the regular duties of a member of the fire department, there shall be paid disability payments the amounts of which shall be determined as follows:

(a) Members whose disability was incurred in the performance of their official duties as firemen shall receive payments in an amount equal to two-thirds of salary.

(b) Members whose disability was not incurred in the line of duty shall receive payments as follows: less than ten years of continuous service, an amount equal to one-third of salary less twenty percent; ten years or more but less than twenty years of continuous service, an amount equal to two-thirds of salary less twenty percent; twenty years or more of continuous service, an amount equal to two-thirds of salary.

(2) The disability payments provided for above shall be payable to a member who is entitled to worker's compensation only after the expiration of the number of weeks for which compensation is payable under the worker's compensation law of Louisiana; provided, when a member with the disability ceases to receive full salary payments from the city of Bogalusa and is only receiving worker's compensation benefits as provided by law, the member shall at that time commence to receive monthly disability payments from the pension fund in an amount which, when added to the aggregate worker's compensation benefits to which he is entitled per month, will equal the full amount of the disability payments per month the member would be entitled to after termination of the period for which worker's compensation benefits are payable. The provisions of this Paragraph shall apply to any member of the fire department who is now or may hereafter be eligible to receive disability payments.

(3) To any member who shall have served in the Bogalusa Fire Department continuously for a period of twenty years there shall be paid upon his application therefor the sum of two-thirds of his monthly salary. The term "monthly salary" as used herein shall mean the average of the salary received by the member during the last twelve months of his employment, or the average of the highest twelve consecutive months during his employment.

(4) (a) To the widows of members killed in the performance of duty and who had under ten years of continuous service there shall be paid the sum of one hundred dollars per month plus twenty-five dollars per month for each unmarried child under the age of eighteen, or under twenty-two years of age if the child is attending college or any accredited school of higher learning, provided, in no case shall the total benefits payable for widow and children exceed the sum of two hundred dollars a month.

(b) To the widows of members whose death was not incurred in the line of duty and who had under ten years of continuous service there shall be paid the sum of fifty dollars per month plus twelve dollars and fifty cents per month for each unmarried child under the age of eighteen, or under twenty-two years of age if the child is attending college or any accredited school of higher learning, provided, in no case shall the total benefit for widow and children exceed the sum of one hundred dollars per month.

(c) To the widows of members with ten or more years of continuous service, irrespective of whether or not their death was incurred in the line of duty, there shall be paid the sum of two hundred dollars per month plus twenty-five dollars per month for each unmarried child under eighteen years of age, or under twenty-two years of age if the child is in college or in any accredited school of higher learning, provided, in no case shall the total benefit for widow and children exceed three hundred dollars per month.

(d) The total benefit payable to the widows in (a), (b), and (c) above, excluding children's benefits shall in no case exceed two-thirds of the husband's pension or a maximum of two hundred dollars per month. The widow's benefits shall cease to be paid upon the remarriage of the widow, and the children's benefits shall cease to be paid upon their becoming ineligible therefor due to having reached eighteen years of age or twenty-two years of age if attending college, or if they are over eighteen years of age and their enrollment in college is discontinued. In addition, children's benefits shall immediately cease upon the marriage of the child prior to the attainment of the maximum age.

(5) Where the deceased member left no widow but did leave an unmarried child under the age of eighteen years, or under the age of twenty-two years if attending college or any accredited school of higher learning, each such child shall receive twenty-five dollars per month; provided, in no case shall the entire pension for such children, if there be more than four, exceed the sum of one hundred dollars per month. The pension payable to a child shall cease upon marriage of the child or, if the child is over eighteen years of age and under twenty-two years of age and is attending college or any accredited school of higher learning, the pension shall cease if enrollment in college or such school is discontinued.

(6) Where the deceased member was never married or was not survived by children of a former marriage, the member's mother shall be entitled to a widow's benefit if she is a widow at the time of the member's death, the benefit to be payable during her lifetime or until remarriage. The determination of this benefit with respect to length of service and death occurring in line of duty or not in line of duty shall be the same as provided above for determination of a widow's benefit.

(7) Retirement and widows' and mothers' pensions shall continue for life, except widows' and mothers' pensions shall cease on their remarriage and shall not thereafter be reinstated.

(8) When relief funds available for the payment of disability payments and pensions are not sufficient to pay the full benefits provided in this Part, the funds shall be prorated equally among those entitled to receive them as provided in this Part.

(9) Time spent in military service in time of war or required by the selective service laws of the United States, or a servicemen's obligation by law as a member of the Reserves of any branch of the Armed Forces, shall not be considered as an interruption of the continuous service of the fire department provided that within sixty days after the expiration of the minimum period of military service required of such individual, he returns to work with the fire department. Any interruption which was not brought on by the fault or the act of the fireman shall not be counted as an interruption of continuous service in the fire department; however, time lost from by reason of a fireman's being suspended or laid off from work by the fire department will count as time lost from the number of years of service required for retirement under the provisions of this Part, and such time loss must be made up.

Designated from Acts 1944, No. 193, §5 by Acts 1991, No. 74, §3, eff. June 25, 1991; Acts 2014, No. 811, §4, eff. June 23, 2014.

NOTE: Acts 2014, No. 811 changed terminology referring to persons with disabilities throughout the La. Revised Statutes and codes of law, and included a listing of terms that were deleted and their respective successor terms (See Acts 2014, No. 811, §36). The Act provides that it is not the intent of the legislature that changes in terminology effected therein alter or affect in any way the substance, interpretation, or application of any law or administrative rule; further provides that nothing in the Act shall be construed to expand or diminish any right of or benefit for any person provided by any law or administrative rule (See Acts 2014, No. 811, §35(C) and (D)).