(a) Any member who after the effective date of this article and during covered employment: (1) Has been or becomes totally disabled by injury, illness or disease; and (2) the disability is a result of an occupational risk or hazard inherent in or peculiar to the services required of members; or (3) the disability was incurred while performing emergency medical services functions during either scheduled work hours or at any other time; and (4) in the opinion of two physicians after medical examination, one of whom shall be named by the board, the member is by reason of the disability unable to perform adequately the duties required of an emergency medical services officer, is entitled to receive and shall be paid from the fund in monthly installments the compensation set forth under either subsection (b) or (c) of this section.

Terms Used In West Virginia Code 16-5V-19

  • Board: means the Consolidated Public Retirement Board. See West Virginia Code 16-5V-2
  • Covered employment: means either: (1) Employment as a full-time emergency medical technician, emergency medical technician/paramedic or emergency medical services/registered nurse and the active performance of the duties required of emergency medical services officers. See West Virginia Code 16-5V-2
  • Effective date: means January 1, 2008. See West Virginia Code 16-5V-2
  • Emergency medical services officer: means an individual employed by the state, county or other political subdivision as a medical professional who is qualified to respond to medical emergencies, aids the sick and injured and arranges or transports to medical facilities, as defined by the West Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services. See West Virginia Code 16-5V-2
  • Fund: means the West Virginia Emergency Medical Services Retirement Fund created by this article. See West Virginia Code 16-5V-2
  • Medical examination: means an in-person or virtual examination of a member's physical or mental health, or both, by a physician or physicians selected or approved by the board. See West Virginia Code 16-5V-2
  • Member: means either: (1) A person first hired as an emergency medical services officer by an employer which is a participating public employer of the Emergency Medical Services Retirement System after the effective date of this article, as defined in subsection (r) of this section. See West Virginia Code 16-5V-2
  • retirement: means the first day of the month following or coincident with the latter of the last day the member worked in covered employment or the member's normal retirement age and after completing proper written application for retirement on an application supplied by the board. See West Virginia Code 16-5V-2
  • Totally disabled: means a member's inability to engage in substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determined physical or mental impairment that can be expected to result in death or that has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months. See West Virginia Code 16-5V-2

(b) If the member is totally disabled, the member shall receive ninety percent of his or her average full monthly compensation for the twelve-month period preceding the member's disability or the shorter period if the member has not worked twelve months.

(c) If the member remains totally disabled until attaining sixty-five years of age, the member shall then receive the retirement benefit provided in sections sixteen and seventeen of this article.

(d) The disability benefit payments will begin the first day of the month following termination of employment and receipt of the disability retirement application by the Consolidated Public Retirement Board.