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Worried about what happens if a person dies while on workers’ comp? Workers and their loved ones may have concerns about their family’s financial well-being if the worker who was collecting workers’ comp benefits passes away. In some cases, surviving family members may be eligible to continue receiving workers’ comp benefits
What to do if a family member dies while collecting workers’ comp benefits
The first thing you should do is notify the workers’ comp insurance carrier (probably the adjuster) that your loved one has passed away. If the death was related to the work injury, dependents may have a claim for continued workers’ comp benefits.
What not to do if a family member dies while collecting workers’ comp benefits
A lady in Macon named Barbara was getting workers’ compensation indemnity benefits and died. Not wanting to see these checks go to waste, her daughter, April, decided to start cashing the future checks and keeping the money for herself. This was a bad idea. She forged her mother’s name on the checks and cashed them. Now, she’s facing 23 felony counts. Cashing a dead person’s workers’ comp checks after forging the deceased’s name might work for a short while, but it won’t last.
What happens if a worker dies on the job or as a result of a workplace accident?
Georgia code O.C.G.A. 34-9-265 lays out the types of benefits the dependents of a deceased worker can receive. Dependents can recover burial expenses and temporary total disability (TTD) benefits, which are calculated depending on when the death happened.
Who is eligible for workers’ comp death benefits?
People who can collect workers’ comp death benefits are called beneficiaries and fall into two categories, primary or secondary. Primary beneficiaries are spouses and dependent children. Secondary beneficiaries are people who were dependent on the deceased worker but aren’t a spouse or a child.
Call our qualified workers comp attorneys in Atlanta who specialize in Georgia workers’ comp claims for advice on what your rights might be after the death of a loved one on workers’ comp benefits.
