(a) The county commission of each county shall allow the correctional officer sick leave with pay to be computed as follows: Correctional officers shall be entitled to one and one-half days sick leave for each calendar month worked, or greater part thereof.

(b) Sick leave shall be granted only when illness on the part of or injury to the correctional officer incapacitates for duty: Provided, That the sheriff of the county in which the correctional officer is employed shall have the authority to require the correctional officer to produce a statement from an attending physician for each day of sick leave beyond two days. This statement shall include dates of treatment and also state that the correctional officer was unable to work. In the absence of the required physician's statement, annual leave shall be charged for the entire period.

(c) Correctional officers may accumulate yearly sick leave in accordance with policy to be established by the county commission.

(d) In the event of illness, a correctional officer may take emergency sick leave without pay after all accrued sick leave, annual leave and compensatory time available to such full-time correctional officer has been exhausted: Provided, That the total number of days sick leave and emergency sick leave used during such illness shall not exceed the total number of days of sick leave which may be accumulated under the provisions of subsection (c) of this section by any correctional officer with the same number of years of service.