§3363. Powers of board; assessment of members; determination of applications for benefits

            A. The board of trustees shall have exclusive control and management of the fund and all money donated, paid, or assessed for the relief or pensioning of members with disabilities, members who are superannuated, and retired members of the fire department, their widows and minor children, or widowed mothers, and for the payment of death benefits. This board is created to administer the funds paid into this system and to invest these funds in accordance with the provisions of this Part.

            B.(1) The board shall assess each member of the fire department not less than ten percent of his compensation allowed as salary, to be deducted each pay period, the same to be placed by the secretary-treasurer to the credit of the fund subject to the orders of the board.

            (2) The city of New Orleans shall automatically deduct such contributions from the member's compensation allowed as salary each pay period. Such deduction shall not be optional. Payment of any amount, allowance, withdrawal, or other benefit pursuant to the provisions of this Part shall constitute a discharge and release of any claim or demand related to such deduction.

            (3) At least once per month, the city of New Orleans shall remit all member contributions directly to the system.

            (4) Member contributions required by this Subsection are intended to be "pick-up contributions" and shall be made and administered in the manner prescribed under Section 414(h) of the Internal Revenue Code.

            (5) Member contributions required by this Subsection shall be deemed part of the member's compensation allowed as salary for purposes of determining benefits and whether such compensation allowed as salary is less than the minimum amount required by law. Payment to a member of his compensation allowed as salary shall be deemed to discharge and acquit the fire department and the city with respect to services rendered by such member during such period, except as to any prospective claim for benefits or payments pursuant to the provisions of this Part.

            (6) The board of trustees shall adopt procedures and guidelines as it deems necessary and appropriate for the collection, remittal, and reporting of member contributions.

            C. Should the employee who was employed prior to January 1, 1968, leave the employment of the city fire department at any time, eighty percent of his accumulated contributions shall be paid to him in a lump sum if living, otherwise to his named beneficiary unless he is entitled to receive benefits under this Part; and upon such withdrawal he shall forfeit all credits for service in this system. It may acquire, own, administer, alienate, and otherwise dispose of all kinds of property, movable and immovable, tangible and intangible, contract, adopt, alter or destroy an official seal, sue and be sued, implead and be impleaded.

            D. The board may employ personnel, professional advisors, legal and technical assistants, and pay compensation for services rendered and shall employ an actuary who shall annually certify to the board the amount of contributions required from the city and other sources to maintain the system on an actuarial basis.

            E. The board shall have exclusive control of the allocation of funds and the payment of funds for operational expenses, the balance of all funds shall be regularly and promptly invested in accordance with the provisions of this Part.

            F. The board shall appoint committees of its members as needed, including a finance committee and a relief committee, and make necessary rules and regulations for its government in the discharge of its duties. It shall hear and decide applications for relief, pensions, and death benefits under this Part. Its decisions on such applications shall be final and conclusive, and not subject to review by the courts of this state unless application is made to the board for rehearing. The board shall cause to be kept a record of all its meetings and proceedings.

            G. The New Orleans Firefighters Association, Local 632 and the board of trustees of the Firefighters' Pension and Relief Fund for the city of New Orleans shall be authorized to enter into a cooperative endeavor agreement or other contractual agreement with the city of New Orleans pursuant to the Supreme Court of Louisiana decision in "New Orleans Firefighters Local 632 et al. versus the city of New Orleans et al.", bearing number 00-C-1921 c/w number 00-C-2041, for the purpose of establishing a special class of benefits or benefit accrual rates for any class of active or retired members in the Firefighters' Pension and Relief Fund for the city of New Orleans based on the member's employment with the city of New Orleans fire department. Any such agreement may be entered into as a basis for full or partial satisfaction of judgments rendered in favor of such members and shall be subject to the approval of the court in which the judgments were rendered.

            H. The Firefighters' Pension and Relief Fund in the city of New Orleans shall remain in compliance with the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code relative to qualified governmental retirement plans. The board of trustees of the fund shall promulgate rules and regulations under the Administrative Procedure Act relative to the applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. No benefits shall be paid in excess of the limitations provided within the rules and regulations pursuant to the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.

            Amended by Acts 1969, No. 120, §1; Acts 1972, No. 127, §1; Redesignated from R.S. 33:2103 by Acts 1991, No. 74, §3, eff. June 25, 1991; Acts 1993, No. 449, §1, eff. June 9, 1993; Acts 2003, No. 1097, §1, eff. July 2, 2003; Acts 2004, No. 610, §1, eff. July 5, 2004; Acts 2011, No. 224, §1, eff. June 27, 2011; Acts 2013, No. 235, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2014; Acts 2014, No. 811, §4, eff. June 23, 2014; Acts 2016, No. 599, §1, eff. June 17, 2016.

NOTE: See Acts 2013, No. 235, §2, regarding incremental implementation of Subsection B as amended by that Act.

NOTE: Acts 2014, No. 811 changed terminology referring to persons with disabilities throughout the La. Revised Statutes and codes of law, and included a listing of terms that were deleted and their respective successor terms (See Acts 2014, No. 811, §36). The Act provides that it is not the intent of the legislature that changes in terminology effected therein alter or affect in any way the substance, interpretation, or application of any law or administrative rule; further provides that nothing in the Act shall be construed to expand or diminish any right of or benefit for any person provided by any law or administrative rule (See Acts 2014, No. 811, §35(C) and (D)).