CHAPTER 487

An Act to amend and reenact § 15-555, as amended, of the Code of
Virginia, relating to allowances by local governing bodies to injured
officials and employees and dependents thereof. rH 8013

Approved March 31, 1960

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 15-555, as amended, of the Code of Virginia, be amended and
reenacted as follows:

§ 15-555. The governing body of any county, city or town is auth-
orized in its discretion to make allowances by appropriation of funds,
payable in monthly or semimonthly installments, for the relief of any of
its officials, employees, policemen, firemen, sheriffs or deputy sheriffs, town
and city sergeants and town and city deputy sergeants, or their dependents,
who suffer injury or death as defined in Title 65, whether such injury
was suffered or death occurs before or after June twenty-ninth, nineteen
hundred forty-eight. The allowance shall not exceed the salary or wage
being paid such official, employee, policeman, fireman, sheriff or deputy
sheriff, town and city sergeants and town and city deputy sergeants, at
the time of such injury or death, and the payment of the allowance shall
not extend beyond the period of disability resulting from such injury;
provided, that the governing body of a county having a population of more
than ninety-nine thousand but less than one hundred thousand and being
contiguous to three cities of the first class may provide that the al-
lowance being paid any such person who dies while entitled to receive
the same may be continued to be paid the widow of such person. In case
death results from the injury, the allowance may be made for the depen-
dents as defined in Title 65. In counties, cities and towns which have es-
tablished retirement or pension systems for injured, retired or superan-
nuated officials, employees, members of police or fire departments, sheriffs,
deputy sheriffs, town and city sergeants and town and city deputy ser-
geants, or for the dependents of those killed in line of duty, the agencies
provided for the administration of such systems shall determine the exist-
ence of such injury or cause of death before any appropriation to pay such
allowance is made and shall determine the extent of and period of disabil-
ity resulting from such injury and the cause in case of death. All sums
paid to any such official, employee, policeman, fireman, sheriff or deputy
sheriff, town and city sergeants and town and city deputy sergeants, as
compensation under Title 65 and all sums paid to the dependents of such
official, employee, policeman, fireman, sheriff or deputy sheriff, town or
city sergeant and town or city deputy sergeant, if he is killed, and all sums
paid under any retirement or pension system shall be deducted from the
allowance made under this section in such installments as the agency de-
termines. If the agency determines that any official, employee, policeman,
fireman, sheriff or deputy sheriff, town or city sergeant and town or city
deputy sergeant, who suffered injury in the line of duty is engaged or is
able to engage in a gainful occupation, then the allowance shall be reduced
by the agency to an amount which, together with the amount earnable by
him, equals the allowance. Should the earning capacity of the official, em-
ployee, policeman, fireman, sheriff or deputy sheriff, town or city sergeant
and town or city deputy sergeant, be later changed, such allowance may be
further modified, up or down, provided the new allowance shall not exceed
the amount of the allowance originally made nor an amount which, when
added to the amount earnable by him, exceeds such allowance.