(a) If any paid nonuniformed employee, while in the performance of his or her duty, shall become physically or mentally totally and permanently disabled by reason of his or her service from performing his or her departmental duties and this fact shall be certified to by the physician on the board of trustees of the pension and relief fund for paid nonuniformed employees, it shall be mandatory on the board to retire the disabled employee from service upon one-half (½) pay, which shall be one-half (½) of the monthly compensation received by the employee at the time of his or her retirement.
(b) No such employee shall be retired on a pension of less than six hundred dollars ($600) a year regardless of whether this minimum amount, when broken down into equal monthly installments, should equal one-half (½) of the employee's monthly compensation.
(c)
(1) If any employee is retired because of any permanent total disability, it shall be the duty of the employee to have an examination made of himself or herself by the physician on the board at least one (1) time every six (6) months.
(2) An employee receiving the examination shall pay to the physician a fee of five dollars ($5.00) for the examination so made.
(d) If an employee recovers from his or her disability, it shall be the duty of the board to stop payment of his or her pension and place the employee back in service. The time of his or her retirement shall be considered as continuous service in his or her position.