Families Of Killed Workers Denied $17 Million, Newspaper Finds

click2houston.com ^ | 2:43 pm CDT May 13, 2007 | houston chronicle

[eastforker]

HOUSTON -- Relatives of 140 workers who died on the job in Texas were denied more than $17 million in compensation benefits because of the state's narrow definition of who can receive the money, a Houston Chronicle analysis has found.

Typically, only spouses and minor-age children are eligible for the lump-sum compensation, often more than $100,000 per worker, according to state law. Parents and older children must demonstrate financial dependence on the killed worker to receive benefits.

[eastforker]

Sounds like workers comp only pays off to dependents, even if the employer is at fault in Texas. My bitch is the money goes to the isurance company to offset other payments. It should in my opinion be paid to the beneficiary.

[eastforker]

bttt

[EndWelfareToday]

Sorry guys but I smell a rat with this story. Sounds to me like the homosexual lobby is trying to pull on everyone's heart strings in order to engender sympathy for those sodomites that choose to defile themselves with a perverted playmate that ultimately ends up being killed while on the job.

Sodomites do not deserve taxpayer or employer money any more than a guy's girlfriend or girl's boyfriend would in the event of an untimely death.

JMHO

[Whispering Smith]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with these rules. They are the same rules we all operate under with our insurance policies. Non dependent parents and non dependent offspring don’t rate anything from workmen’s compensation.

[eastforker]

This is about people accidentally killed on the job, not dying while they are employed.

[SteveMcKing]

It’s safe to guess that the taxes paid by insurance companies receiving the income must greatly exceed whatever the tax is on personal death benefits paid to families (which might even be zero in some states).

[eastforker]

The money is still being payed out, only back to the isurance company. Does that make sense???

[gracesdad]

“Sodomites do not deserve taxpayer or employer money any more than a guy’s girlfriend or girl’s boyfriend would in the event of an untimely death.”

Yeah, everything is a homosexual conspiracy. They’re taking over the world. (that was sarcasm)

[RicocheT]

WSmith is correct. Most state’s workers comp laws only pay death benefits to spouses or dependents. Parents and non dependents are not eligible. WC is a no fault law and the benefits are wage replacements or what support the family could have reasonably expected from the worker.

In deaths of single workers with no dependents, the non paid out money goes to a special fund for other, severely injured workers or back to the carrier as the system’s aim is to keep the carriers financially able to pay future claims.

[eastforker]

Personaly, I think it should go to the legal beneficiary of the killed worker. After burial and other expenses, lost work time etc, there wouldn’t be much left over