AB 588

Currently, under the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS), a WRS participant

who is employed as a protective occupation participant is entitled to a duty disability

benefit if the individual is injured while performing his or her duty or contracts a

disease due to his or her occupation; the disability is likely to be permanent; and the

disability causes the individual to retire from his or her job, the individual's pay or

position is reduced or he or she is assigned to light duty, or the individual's

promotional opportunities are adversely affected if state or local employer rules,

ordinances, policies, or written agreements specifically prohibit promotion because

of the disability. A protective occupation participant under the WRS is generally an

employee whose principal duties involve active law enforcement or fire suppression.

This bill permits the Department of Employee Trust Funds (DETF) to require

that an individual receiving a duty disability benefit be examined by at least one

physician approved by DETF, during any calendar year the individual is receiving

the benefit. A written report of the examination in a form approved by DETF, which

shall indicate whether or not the individual is still disabled, must be filed with DETF.

The benefit must be terminated if a determination is made by DETF that the written

physician's report indicates that the individual has recovered from the disability so

the individual is no longer disabled or if the individual refuses to submit to an

examination.

Because this bill relates to public employee retirement or pensions, it may be

referred to the Joint Survey Committee on Retirement Systems for a report to be

printed as an appendix to the bill.