(A)(1)(a) An employee in the service of the state may be eligible to receive salary continuation not to exceed four hundred eighty hours at the employee’s total rate of pay for absence as a result of injury incurred during the performance of, or arising out of, state employment. When an eligible employee’s absence as a result of such an injury extends beyond four hundred eighty hours, the employee immediately becomes subject to sections 124.382 and 124.385 of the Revised Code regarding sick leave and disability leave benefits.

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An employee is ineligible to receive salary continuation until the date of implementation is established in the rules adopted under division (C)(1) of this section.

(b) Employees of the secretary of state, auditor of state, treasurer of state, attorney general, supreme court, general assembly, or legislative service commission are not subject to division (A)(1)(a) of this section unless the relevant appointing authority notifies the director of administrative services in writing of the intent to have all of the appointing authority‘s employees participate in salary continuation. The relevant appointing authority also may discontinue salary continuation for all of its employees by providing written notice of the discontinuation to the director.

Participation in salary continuation is subject to rules adopted under division (C)(1) of this section.

(2) Each employee of the department of rehabilitation and correction, the department of mental health and addiction services, the department of developmental disabilities, the department of veterans services, or the Ohio schools for the deaf and blind, and each employee of the department of youth services as established in division (A) of section 124.14 of the Revised Code who sustains a qualifying physical condition inflicted by a ward of these agencies during the time the employee is lawfully carrying out the assigned duties of the employee’s position shall be paid occupational injury leave at the employee’s total rate of pay during the period the employee is disabled as a result of that qualifying physical condition, but in no case to exceed nine hundred sixty hours, in lieu of workers’ compensation. Pay made according to this division shall not be charged to the employee’s accumulation of sick leave credit. In any case when an employee’s disability as a result of such a qualifying physical condition extends beyond nine hundred sixty hours, the employee immediately becomes subject to sections 124.382 and 124.385 of the Revised Code regarding sick leave and disability leave benefits.

(B) An employee who is receiving salary continuation or occupational injury leave under division (A)(1) or (2) of this section is not eligible for other paid leave, including holiday pay, while receiving benefits under either division. While an employee is receiving salary continuation or occupational injury leave under division (A)(1) or (2) of this section, vacation leave credit ceases to accrue to the employee under section 124.134 of the Revised Code, but sick leave credit and personal leave credit continue to accrue to the employee under sections 124.382 and 124.386 of the Revised Code.

(C)(1) The director of administrative services shall adopt rules for the administration of both the salary continuation program and the occupational injury leave program. The rules shall include, but not be limited to, provisions for determining a disability, for filing a claim for leave under this section, and for allowing or denying claims for the leave.

(2) The director also may adopt rules for the payment of health benefits while an employee is on workers’ compensation leave.

(D) An appointing authority may apply to the director of administrative services to grant salary continuation under division (A)(1) of this section or occupational injury leave under division (A)(2) of this section to law enforcement personnel employed by the agency.