§3346. Benefits

Payment of pensions and benefits shall conform to the following:

(1) In payment of benefits to widows, the term "widow" shall mean the lawfully married spouse of any member from whom there has not been obtained a judicial separation of bed and board or divorce at the time of the member's death. Should any member marry after taking retirement or disability benefits, then this fund shall not be responsible for any benefits whatsoever to such widow.

(2) A member who has served twenty years of service with the fire department, upon retiring, shall be paid the sum of two hundred fifty dollars per month, and he shall receive an additional ten dollars per month thereafter for each fully completed year of service, not to exceed three hundred dollars; provided that any member employed after January 1, 1968, must be a minimum forty-five years of age before receiving benefits applicable to a twenty-year retirement, as hereinabove set forth.

(3) A member of this organization who acquires a total or permanent disability from any cause, either while on or off duty, to such an extent that service cannot be performed for the fire department, shall, upon submission of due proof in accordance with the requirements of this organization and during the period of disability, receive the sum of three hundred dollars per month; provided that at any time during the period of disability the board of trustees may require the member to submit to physical examination in accordance with the provisions of this Part. Upon the death of the member drawing disability and benefits, his widow, as defined in Paragraph (1) of this Section, during the period of her widowhood, shall receive the sum of one hundred seventy-five dollars per month and, if there be a lawful child or children of the deceased who are under eighteen years of age and not married, the widow shall receive an additional thirty-five dollars per month for each such child, not to exceed a total of one hundred five dollars per month for all of the children, until the youngest child shall reach eighteen years of age.

(4) A member who has served twenty-five years of collective service, upon retiring shall receive the sum of three hundred dollars per month. Upon the death of any member, active or retired, his widow, as defined in Paragraph (1), shall receive the sum of one hundred seventy-five dollars per month during the period of her widowhood, and if there is a lawful child or children of the deceased who are under eighteen years of age and are not married, such widow shall receive an additional thirty-five dollars per month for each such child, not to exceed a total of one hundred five dollars per month for such children, until the youngest child reaches eighteen years of age.

(5) Should any active or retired member die, his widow, as defined in Paragraph (1) shall receive the sum of one hundred seventy-five dollars per month during the period of her widowhood. Should there be no widow, or should his widow subsequently die or remarry, and there are lawful surviving children under eighteen years of age and not married, then they shall receive the sum of one hundred fifty dollars per month, to be divided between them equally, for their support or education until the youngest child has reached eighteen years of age.

(6) Any widow receiving benefits under this Part who remarries shall forfeit all rights and benefits whatsoever from date of remarriage. Any child receiving benefits under this Part who marries shall forfeit all rights and benefits from the date of marriage.

(7) The above schedule of rates and benefits, as well as any future increases, shall apply to all persons receiving benefits under this Part, provided however, any member who received benefits prior to January 1, 1958, shall be limited to a maximum benefit of one hundred forty dollars per month.

(8) No member shall be paid any benefits whatever for any disability while said member is receiving salary or wages from the city of Monroe fire department.

(9) A member claiming or receiving benefits because of any disability that renders him unfit for service on the fire department shall subject himself to physical examinations by the board's medical examiner. If the findings be objectionable to him, he may, at his own expense, consult a physician of his own choice. If these two examiners fail to agree, then they shall select a third physician. The concurrence of any two of these three shall then be considered as final by both the member and the board of trustees.

(10) The service record of a member shall be computed from the date of his first employment on the fire department. It shall be counted on the basis of twenty through twenty-five years of collective service.

(11) A member's service record shall not be considered as interrupted during such periods as said member may not be employed on the fire department because of illness, injury, physical infirmity, or disability. Nor shall it be considered as interrupted during such time as a member may be in the actual military service of the United States or the state of Louisiana, in time of war, peril, insurrection, flood, calamity or other cause that may call a member from private life to the military service; provided, however, that during such time as any member may be in the actual military service of the United States in time of war, peril, insurrection, flood, calamity, or other cause, then all dues and benefits provided for hereunder shall be waived during such period.

(12) If a disability retiree returns to active employment as a fireman of the department, or if one who has previously retired from the fund on disability returns to active employment as fireman of the department, and such person did not merge into the Firefighters' Retirement System on May 7, 1981, he shall, upon reemployment, become a member of the Firefighters' Retirement System and any prior service credit in the fund shall only be recognized pursuant to the provisions of R.S. 11:142.

(13) The board of trustees may grant a cost of living adjustment to retirees and beneficiaries not to exceed fifty dollars per month; provided, however, that no cost of living adjustment may be effective unless and until approved by the Monroe City Council.

Added by Acts 1982, No. 764, §1; Redesignated from R.S. 33:2176 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)).