3-03/060.20 - Replacing Employee's Damaged Personal Property

Section 53240 of the Government Code states that the County will pay a portion of the cost of replacing or repairing property or prostheses of County employees.  (County Code, Title 5, Chapter 5.80.60, provides the authority for the County to reimburse employees for damage of over $5.00 to their private property when damage occurs in the line of duty and the employee is without fault).  Claims are filed, investigated and approved by the employee’s Unit or Watch Commander and forwarded to Fiscal Administration, Attention: General Accounting, for reimbursement or replacement.

The Department cannot approve claims in excess of $1,000.  Such claims will be forwarded to the CEO, Risk Management, for review and approval.

Uniform Allowance Personnel – ASSAULTS ONLY:

If damage or destruction to the following uniform item(s), shirt, trousers, tie, tie bar, or dress belt, is the result of an assault (e.g., gassing, etc.), the item(s) will be replaced via a voucher.

Employees who desire to file a claim for replacement shall, within five (5) working days after the incident:

• File a claim on Form 76C212V6 (Claim for Reimbursement for Damaged Personal Property)
• Submit a SH-R-49 Incident Report;
• Submit a SH-AD-588 Uniform and Equipment Replacement Request Form, indicating Class A or B;
• Attach to the claim form all documents that substantiate the claim, such as complaint reports, etc.;
• Submit the damaged article, documents and forms to the Unit or Watch Commander for inspection and review.  The Unit or Watch Commander shall approve or deny the claim;
• Submit the signed documents and the forms to Fiscal Administration, Attention:  General Accounting;
• General Accounting shall notify the claimant and the manager at Central Supply/Logistics of approved claims and;
• Central Supply/Logistics will issue a voucher for damaged item(s) and collect the requisite $5.00.

NOTE:  Replacement vouchers are for professional fit only.

The Unit or Watch Commander shall be responsible for investigating and verifying the claim and approving the claim amount. 

All Other Claims for Damage:

Employees who desire to file a claim for reimbursement shall, within five (5) working days after the incident:

• File a claim for reimbursement on Form 76C212V6 (Claim for Reimbursement for Damaged Personal Property);
• Submit a SH-R-49 Incident Report;
• Attach to the claim form, all documents that substantiate the claim, such as complaint reports, etc.;
• Submit the damaged article, documents and forms to the Unit or Watch Commander for inspection and review.  The Unit or Watch Commander shall approve or deny the claim and;
• Submit the signed documents and the forms to Fiscal Administration, Attention:  General Accounting.

NOTE:  If an employee sustains an injury that results in their absence from work beyond the five day period required to complete the reimbursement paperwork, a supervisor may complete the paperwork on behalf of the employee.

 The types of incidents occurring while in the line of duty where reimbursement will be considered are:

• Assault by another person;
• Attack by an animal;
• Malfunction of equipment (e.g., an oil line on a County vehicle ruptures and sprays fluid, damaging clothing, etc.) and;
• Field emergency operations (e.g., fire, flood, rescue, arrests, etc.).

NOTE:  Any loss that is considered preventable, careless, or imprudent is not reimbursable.  Claims for lost or stolen articles will not be considered.

The types of property that will be considered for reimbursement are:

• Clothing;
• Watches;
• Eyeglasses;
• Dentures and;
• Tools necessary to perform assigned duties.

NOTE:  Claims for reimbursement for damages to private motor vehicles or jewelry, other than watches, are not acceptable under this program.  See section 3-03/060.22 concerning claims for reimbursement for damages to personal vehicles.

The amount reimbursed will be either current value or repair costs, whichever is lower, reduced by $5.00, except as noted below:

NOTE 1:  Current value of clothing to be based on original cost, depreciated over a five-year period using the straight-line depreciation method (i.e., straight-line decpreciation is the equivalent of 20% per year).

NOTE 2:  Current value for either personal prosthesis or hard goods (cameras, tools, etc.) shall be based on current replacement cost.

When clothing is damaged, reimbursement will not be considered for a complete suit unless both the jacket and trousers are damaged.

If there is partial or total reimbursement from other sources, this will be deducted from the County's reimbursement.

If the claimant receives reimbursement from outside sources after a County payment is made, the employee must reimburse the County up to the amount received from the county.

The Unit or Watch Commander shall be responsible for investigating and verifying the claim and approving the claim amount.  Damaged property should be forwarded to the manager, Central Supply/Logistics, along with a copy of the approved form for reimbursement.

If the claim is denied, the reason shall be entered on the forms and distributed as follows:

• Original to the claimant and;
• Copy to the claimant's personnel folder.

If the claim is approved, the forms shall be endorsed and distributed as follows:

• Original and supporting documents to Fiscal Administration, Attention:  General Accounting.

NOTE:  When the damaged personal property is a Department authorized, but not issued by the Department, firearm and/or handcuffs, Deputy personnel shall submit, upon purchasing a replacement for the damaged item, an Employee's Personal Information form (SH-AD-91) See the Personnel chapter).

Reserve Personnel

The procedure for reimbursement for damaged personal property to Sheriff's Reserves is the same as outlined above.

The amount of reimbursement shall be the cost of repair or actual cash value of the item at the time it was damaged, including depreciation over a five-year period for clothing, whichever is less.  In no case shall the reimbursement amount exceed the maximum amount set by the Board of Supervisors and approved by Unit Commander.

The following is a list of additional items which, if supplied by Reserve Deputies and are necessary in conducting operations under the direction of the Department, are covered by this maximum amount:

• Special equipment;
• Horses;
• Pack animals; and
• Special rescue equipment.