Article 3. Service Credit And Contributions of California Government Code >> Division 1. >> Title 5. >> Part 1. >> Chapter 4.5. >> Article 3.

Only members may accumulate service credit in the award system. A volunteer becomes a member when he or she satisfies the minimum requirements for membership, as established by the board, and the minimum service requirements as certified by a qualifications review commission. Membership shall terminate on the day prior to the effective date of an award pursuant to Section 50962.

(a) The award system shall be funded by contributions paid by contracting departments and income from the fund. The award system is a noncontributory system, and no contributions shall be required from members of the award system.
  (b) As determined by actuarial valuation reported to the contracting department by the award system, each contracting department shall make contributions annually, not later than October 1 of each year, sufficient to meet the prescribed amount with respect to volunteers of the contracting department, in accordance with the conditions provided in its contract under the award system.
  (c) Contributions of all contracting departments shall be applied by the board during each fiscal year to meet the obligations of all departments collectively, pursuant to the following order:
  (1) In an amount equal to the liabilities accruing on account of awards payable on account of current service.
  (2) The balance of contributions on any other liability incurred under this chapter.

(a) Only those volunteers who have been certified by their contracting department as having satisfactorily completed a service year shall be credited with current service for that year. A member is not required to qualify in consecutive years.
  (b) Members of departments contracting on or after the effective date of this chapter may initially be credited with a full service year if the board authorizes credit for that service and the member and his or her department satisfy the other requirements established by the board, including, but not limited to, certification by the department's qualifications review commission.
  (c) A satisfactory service year credit shall be determined by a member's active participation in all of the following fire department activities.
  (1) Training drills.
  (2) Responses to emergency calls.
  (3) Attendance at official department and association meetings.
  (d) Contracting departments shall maintain adequate records to show that a credited member was a participating member of the department during the year of certification. The records may include, but are not limited to, the following:
  (1) Department run logs.
  (2) Department training records.
  (3) Certificates of training.
  (4) Records of exposures to hazardous products.
  (5) Minutes of departmental or association meetings.

(a) The governing body of each contracting department shall establish a qualifications review commission that shall include the fire chief, one member of the governing body appointed by the governing body, and one volunteer elected by the volunteers employed by the contracting department.
  (b) The qualifications review commission shall review the list of department members each year, and prior to October 1 of each year shall certify to the board those volunteers who have qualified.
  (c) In no event shall a member be credited with more than the maximum number of years of service allowed in the award system, as established by the rules and regulations of the board.
  (d) With respect to each contracting department that provides benefits for prior service credit, the qualifications review commission shall promulgate and publish guidelines for computing prior service credit. The guidelines shall require the prior service credit to be verified and certified and, in the event that there are no records in existence, the members of the commission and the volunteer shall sign an affidavit certifying that the prior service met the criteria prescribed in Section 50960. The affidavit shall be signed under penalty of perjury. Thereafter, the qualifications review commission shall certify to the board certified prior service credit that has been earned by each member.

When the member's application for an award is received by the board, an award shall be granted to accrue and become effective pursuant to the terms, conditions, and eligibility requirements established by the board.

The board shall determine the terms, conditions, and eligibility requirements for all of the following:
  (a) The amount of an award payable under the award system.
  (b) If a member is entitled to a cost-of-living adjustment and the amount of that cost-of-living adjustment.
  (c) If a member is entitled to receive an award and the amounts of supplemental payments based upon that award.
  (d) Any death benefits payable to a member's designated beneficiary or the estate of the member.
  (e) All other benefits authorized by the board under this chapter.