SECTIONS 50958-50963

50958.  Only members may accumulate service credit in the awardsystem. A volunteer becomes a member when he or she satisfies theminimum requirements for membership, as established by the board, andthe minimum service requirements as certified by a qualificationsreview commission. Membership shall terminate on the day prior to theeffective date of an award pursuant to Section 50962.50959.  (a) The award system shall be funded by contributions paidby contracting departments and income from the fund. The award systemis a noncontributory system, and no contributions shall be requiredfrom members of the award system. (b) As determined by actuarial valuation reported to thecontracting department by the award system, each contractingdepartment shall make contributions annually, not later than October1 of each year, sufficient to meet the prescribed amount with respectto volunteers of the contracting department, in accordance with theconditions provided in its contract under the award system. (c) Contributions of all contracting departments shall be appliedby the board during each fiscal year to meet the obligations of alldepartments collectively, pursuant to the following order: (1) In an amount equal to the liabilities accruing on account ofawards payable on account of current service. (2) The balance of contributions on any other liability incurredunder this chapter.50960.  (a) Only those volunteers who have been certified by theircontracting department as having satisfactorily completed a serviceyear shall be credited with current service for that year. A memberis not required to qualify in consecutive years. (b) Members of departments contracting on or after the effectivedate of this chapter may initially be credited with a full serviceyear if the board authorizes credit for that service and the memberand his or her department satisfy the other requirements establishedby the board, including, but not limited to, certification by thedepartment's qualifications review commission. (c) A satisfactory service year credit shall be determined by amember's active participation in all of the following fire departmentactivities. (1) Training drills. (2) Responses to emergency calls. (3) Attendance at official department and association meetings. (d) Contracting departments shall maintain adequate records toshow that a credited member was a participating member of thedepartment 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.50961.  (a) The governing body of each contracting department shallestablish a qualifications review commission that shall include thefire chief, one member of the governing body appointed by thegoverning body, and one volunteer elected by the volunteers employedby the contracting department. (b) The qualifications review commission shall review the list ofdepartment members each year, and prior to October 1 of each yearshall certify to the board those volunteers who have qualified. (c) In no event shall a member be credited with more than themaximum number of years of service allowed in the award system, asestablished by the rules and regulations of the board. (d) With respect to each contracting department that providesbenefits for prior service credit, the qualifications reviewcommission shall promulgate and publish guidelines for computingprior service credit. The guidelines shall require the prior servicecredit to be verified and certified and, in the event that there areno records in existence, the members of the commission and thevolunteer shall sign an affidavit certifying that the prior servicemet the criteria prescribed in Section 50960. The affidavit shall besigned under penalty of perjury. Thereafter, the qualificationsreview commission shall certify to the board certified prior servicecredit that has been earned by each member.50962.  When the member's application for an award is received bythe board, an award shall be granted to accrue and become effectivepursuant to the terms, conditions, and eligibility requirementsestablished by the board.50963.  The board shall determine the terms, conditions, andeligibility 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 theamount of that cost-of-living adjustment. (c) If a member is entitled to receive an award and the amounts ofsupplemental payments based upon that award. (d) Any death benefits payable to a member's designatedbeneficiary or the estate of the member. (e) All other benefits authorized by the board under this chapter.