An employee who becomes disabled after the effective date while under age 65 and prior to January 1, 1979, or while under age 70 after January 1, 1979 and prior to January 1, 1987, as the result of injury incurred – on or after the date he has been included under this Article – in the performance of an act or acts of duty shall have a right to receive duty disability benefit, during any period of such disability for which he receives no salary. Any employee who becomes disabled after January 1, 1987, as the result of injury incurred on or after the date he has been included under the Article and in the performance of an act or acts of duty, shall have a right to receive a duty disability benefit during any period of such disability for which he receives no salary. The benefit shall be 75% of salary at date of injury; provided, that if disability, in any measure, has resulted from any physical defect or disease which existed at the time such injury was sustained, the duty disability benefit shall be 50% of salary at date of such injury.
     The employee shall also have a right to receive child’s disability benefit of $10 a month on account of each child less than age 18. Child’s disability benefits shall not exceed 15% of the salary as aforesaid.
     These benefits shall not be allowed unless application therefor is made while the disability exists; except that this limitation does not apply if the board finds that there was reasonable cause for delay in filing the application while the disability existed. This amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly is intended to be a restatement and clarification of existing law and does not imply that application for a duty disability benefit made after the disability had ceased, without a finding of reasonable cause, was previously allowed under this Article.
     The first payment of duty disability or child’s disability benefit shall be made not later than one month after such benefit is granted and each subsequent payment shall be made not later than one month after the last preceding payment.
     Duty disability benefit is payable during disability until the employee attains age 65 if the disability commences prior to January 1, 1979. If the disability commences on or after January 1, 1979, the benefit prescribed herein shall be payable during disability until the employee attains age 65 for disability commencing prior to age 60, or for a period of 5 years or until attainment of age 70, whichever occurs first, for disability commencing at age 60 or older and on or after January 1, 1979 but prior to January 1, 1987. If the disability commences on or after January 1, 1987, the benefit prescribed herein shall be payable during disability for a period of 5 years for disability commencing at age 60 or older. In either case, child’s disability benefit shall be paid to the employee parent of any unmarried child less than age 18, during such time until the child marries or attains age 18. The employee shall thereafter receive such annuity as is otherwise provided under this Article.
     Any employee whose duty disability benefit was terminated on or after January 1, 1987 by reason of his attainment of age 70, and who continues to be disabled after age 70, may elect before March 31, 1988, to have such benefits resumed beginning at the time of such termination and continuing until termination is required under this Section as amended by this amendatory Act of 1987. The amount payable to any employee for such resumed benefit for any period shall be reduced by the amount of any retirement annuity paid to such employee under this Article for the same period of time or by any refund paid in lieu of annuity.