A municipality must give fire fighters and police officers paid leave for line-of-duty illness or injury, and they must be reinstated to the same rank and seniority after recovery.
Sec. 143.073. LINE OF DUTY ILLNESS OR INJURY LEAVE OF ABSENCE. (a) A municipality shall provide to a fire fighter or police officer a leave of absence for an illness or injury related to the person's line of duty. The leave is with full pay for a period commensurate with the nature of the line of duty illness or injury. If necessary, the leave shall continue for at least one year. (b) At the end of the one-year period, the municipality's governing body may extend the line of duty illness or injury leave at full or reduced pay. If the fire fighter's or police officer's leave is not extended or the person's salary is reduced below 60 percent of the person's regular monthly salary, and the person is a member of a pension fund, the person may retire on pension until able to return to duty. (c) If pension benefits are not available to a fire fighter or police officer who is temporarily disabled by a line of duty injury or illness and if the year at full pay and any extensions granted by the governing body have expired, the fire fighter or police officer may use accumulated sick leave, vacation time, and other accrued benefits before the person is placed on temporary leave. (d) If a fire fighter or police officer is temporarily disabled by an injury or illness that is not related to the person's line of duty, the person may: (1) use all sick leave, vacation time, and other accumulated time before the person is placed on temporary leave; or (2) have another fire fighter or police officer volunteer to do the person's work while the person is temporarily disabled by the injury or illness. (e) After recovery from a temporary disability, a fire fighter or police officer shall be reinstated at the same rank and with the same seniority the person had before going on temporary leave. Another fire fighter or police officer may voluntarily do the work of an injured fire fighter or police officer until the person returns to duty. Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 149, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987. Amended by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 683, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2001. Amended by: Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 399 (H.B. 1790), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2015.