Sometimes workplace injuries are so severe the victim does not survive. He or she may die at the scene of the accident or survive for weeks or months before passing away.
Below, the attorneys at Berry, Smith & Bartell discuss claims for death benefits under workers’ compensation. For assistance with your potential claim, contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation today.
In California, those who depended on a deceased worker to provide financial support may be eligible to receive death benefits via workers’ compensation. Death benefits provide compensation for burial expenses as well as cash benefits to make up for the loss of the worker’s financial support.
Workers’ compensation death benefits are paid to a deceased worker’s total and partial dependents.
Total dependents include:
Partial dependents could include:
Death benefits under California’s workers’ compensation system are as follows:
The total amount paid in death benefits to dependents depends on how many people claim to have received support from the deceased worker.
Death benefits are not paid in a lump sum. They are paid in installments in most cases, at the same weekly amount as the deceased worker’s temporary total disability rate. These payments will not be less than $224 per week.
In the case of minor children, payments continue until the youngest child reaches age 18 or an incapacitated child passes away.
If the workers’ compensation insurer still owed payments to the injured worker for medical costs, temporary disability or total disability at the worker’s time of death, those benefits must be paid to dependents. If the worker had no dependents, payments must be made to legal heirs or the deceased’s personal representative. Those eligible to receive these payments may be able to pursue payment of penalties associated with late payment of the worker’s benefits.
Partial and total dependents have up to one year to file for benefits following an employee’s death from work-related injury or illness. If the deceased worker’s employer paid compensation due to misconduct and the deceased passed away more than one year following the injury, dependents must file for death benefits within one year following the last payment of that type of compensation.
If your loved one was fatally injured in a workplace accident, you may be entitled to death benefits through workers’ compensation. Our Bakersfield workers’ compensation attorneys work to recover fair compensation for work injury victims and those who were dependent on an employee who died in a work accident.
Request a free, no-obligation consultation today. There are no upfront fees and you only pay us if we are successful in recovering compensation for you. We have more than 60 years of combined experience recovering compensation for California workers.
