§ 82-558. Workers' compensation and other employee benefits

When accessing workers' compensation benefits, the injured employee and supervisor must be aware of how the employee's status may impact other county benefits and applicable policies. They include, but are not limited to, the following:

(1) Reporting lost time. Each time an employee is absent from work due to a workers' compensation injury, the employee must provide documentation from his health care provider to his supervisor not less than every three weeks. This includes intermittent lost time.

(2) Workers' compensation and family and medical leave. Workers' compensation and family and medical leave will run concurrently. Employees who are injured under workers' compensation and remain off duty for more than three working days or who will require ongoing medical treatment, shall be placed on family and medical leave utilizing the same criteria as outlined in the county's family and medical leave policy. Supervisors/managers are responsible for ensuring that injured employees are placed on family and medical leave.

(3) Insurance benefits. Employees on workers' compensation leave are required to pay for all applicable monthly insurance costs. Employees may elect to suspend coverage; however, they will be subject to the 30-day waiting period. If an employee elects to maintain coverage and fails to pay the premiums, all insurance will be canceled. If coverage is reinstated when the employee returns to work, the employee will be subject to the 30-day waiting period.

(4) Accrual of leave. Employees, including probationary employees who are off work and receiving weekly workers' compensation payments, shall not continue to earn vacation leave, sick leave or holiday pay during such period. Probationary employees may have their probationary period extended for such period of absence from work due to a workers' compensation injury/illness. However, this extension is at the discretion of the elected official/department head.

(5) Salary/benefit modifications. Employees who are on leave, including workers' compensation, are not eligible to receive salary increases such as merit increases, step increases, promotional increases, etc., until the employee has met all requirements for such increases, including the actual work experience criteria. However, if the county makes salary/benefit modifications to all county employees or to employees in the injured employee's specific job category, then the employee may be impacted by these changes, if he meets all specified requirements.

(Ord. No. 2000-889, § 4.07, 5-2-2000; Ord. No. 2002-1977, 10-29-2002; Ord. No. 2004-1803, 10-5-2004)