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CFPBA MEMBER BENEFITS
Legal Defense Plan
As a prospective member of the Coastal Florida PBA, we want you to know that one of the primary benefits of membership is legal assistance. The PBA has a team of five "in-house" attorneys and over 40 law firms to provide you with the best legal services available to Florida's law enforcement officers. These services are provided as part of your membership, and there is NO cost to you:
- Legal Representation: Disciplinary Cases and Arbitration - The PBA will provide you legal representation if you are suspended, demoted or dismissed by your Department. This representation can take two forms: legal assistance in a career service appeal or through the grievance/arbitration process.
- Legal Representation: Before CJSTC - If you are the subject of a certification disciplinary case or inquiry from the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission (CJSTC), the PBA will provide you legal assistance at all three stages of the process, including the probable cause hearing, the administrative case and the final hearing before the full CJSTC.
- Legal Defense: Shootings/Serious Accidents - If you are involved in a duty-related shooting incident, an on-duty vehicle crash or other accident which results in a serious injury to another person, PBA will provide an attorney 'on-scene' to assist in any internal, criminal investigation or questioning about the incident.
- Legal Defense: Civil Suits/Criminal Actions - If you are sued civilly, subject to a grand jury investigation, or criminal action for an incident arising out of and within the scope of your law enforcement duties, PBA provides an attorney to represent you and cover the costs of defending the case against you.
- Legal Duty Officer - We provide access to a legal duty officer, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to respond to your emergency, duty-related legal needs.
To ensure these benefits are available to you, you must be a member in good standing on the date of the incident and must continue to be a member during representation.
PBA DEATH AND DISABILITY PLAN
Effective April 1, 2005, this benefit replaced the Salary Replacement Plan
This is a program, free to members which provides certain death or disability benefits to the member, spouse or dependent children when the member is killed or suffers a catastrophic injury in the line of duty.
On December 1, 2005, the benefit payments have been increased as follows:
death benefit increased to a maximum of $30,000 and
catastrophic injury to a maximum of $15,000.
Additionally, CFPBA members currently receive a $5,000 Life/$5,000 AD&D policy, which is provided as part of their membership benefit package.
Legislative Services
Our most important function is obtaining legislation supporting officers' rights, working conditions, wages and any other areas of concern. PBA protects you politically from any and all sources which attack your salaries, pensions and working conditions.
PBA maintains a professional team of lobbyists who aggressively fight for legislation beneficial to ALL law enforcement and corrections officers. Throughout each year, your legislative team drafts new legislation, seeks sponsors for new legislation and continuously urges pro-law enforcement/corrections legislation for adoption.
We have established a PAC account and a CCE account, to which a total of 75 cents of each member's dues every month
is deposited for the purpose of contributing to political candidates and for maintaining a strong political voice with pro-low enforcement/corrections legislators. In addition, every two years, extensive political screening is done throughout the State to ensure that pro-law enforcement/corrections legislators are elected.
Between legislative sessions, PBA has continuous contact with legislators, providing them with up-to-date information on law enforcement and corrections issues.
Organizational Services
Since membership services is the primary mission of the PBA, quick and dependable service is priority number one. We take pride in the fact that our staff representatives can assist you in every way. Since a staff representative is your first line of contact for representation, they have been trained extensively in filing grievances on your behalf; conducting consultation meetings with management; assisting you to better understand your contract; assisting in internal affairs investigations and administrative hearings; visiting your work site on a regular basis; and, benefit number one, being on-call at all times.
PBA has a member services representative available at 1-800-625-5451, Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., to answer any immediate questions you may have. In case of an after hours emergency (serious incident or shooting), call 1-800-625-5451 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
As you can see, membership services is job one and the PBA is there for you in your time of need.
Publications
The Florida PBA has proven without a doubt that our publications department is extremely dedicated and proud. Newsletters are published on a regular basis to keep you up-to-date on the latest issues concerning departmental rule changes, contract negotiations, legislation and your legislators, not to mention member feedback and editorials.
Each edition of the Roll Call (which is sent to all members) continues to be more detailed and informative. All chapter newsletters are recognized for having more facts about the issues you need to know.
We would like to urge all members to write to us on issues they feel are important and to respond to articles often. With member input, such as this, we can only better serve you.
Computer Services
On your behalf, PBA maintains a database containing comparative data on salaries, fringe benefits and other terms and conditions of employment within most law enforcement agencies.
PBA regularly surveys members and agencies regarding their opinions on working conditions, salaries and other employment issues. We can then use this information to gauge the morale of individual departments and their employees and utilize this information to better your work environment.
Past surveys have been used to communicate departmental "shortcomings" to legislators for statewide departments and to individual local agency administrators.
Pension Services
PBA retains the services of a professional consultant to assist with questions about pensions. We maintain current information on the Florida retirement system as well as municipal police pension systems.
Your PBA staff is ready to assist with any inquiries regarding pension problems.
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