In the event any officer or employee of the
Borough of Bergenfield shall be absent from his or her duties due
to an injury or disability resulting from or arising out of his or
her employment, said officer or employee shall be granted a leave
of absence, not exceeding one year, with compensation as hereinafter
set forth, which leave of absence shall be in addition to the normal
sick leave granted to the said officer or employee.
In order for the officer or employee to qualify for the leave of absence set forth in §
50-29 herein, a physician appointed by the Borough of Bergenfield shall examine said officer or employee and shall certify to the Borough the injury or disability.
The said leave of absence provided for in §
50-29 of this article shall be with full pay; provided, however, that in the event the said officer or employee shall be in receipt of workers compensation temporary income replacement disability payments during the period of said leave of absence, the Borough shall pay to said employee only the difference between said officer or employee's regular salary and said income replacement payments.
As a condition precedent to any officer or employee
making a claim pursuant to the provisions of this article, he or she
shall be required to file in a timely manner (not later than two weeks
following such injury or disability) a claim petition for workers
compensation benefits and shall be further required to take such steps
as are necessary to obtain temporary income replacement disability
payments.
Notwithstanding anything contained herein to
the contrary, in the event the workers compensation insurance carrier
covering the Borough of Bergenfield, based upon competent medical
reports, determines that an injury or disability does not arise out
of the course of an officer's or employees' employment, the leave
of absence provision of this article shall not apply and all such
compensation shall terminate. To this end, it shall be the obligation
of the Tax Collector-Treasurer of the Borough of Bergenfield to obtain
an immediate determination from the workers compensation insurance
carrier as to such officer's or employees' entitlement to the temporary
income replacement disability payments.