If your healthcare provider has diagnosed you with a terminal disease or condition related to your employment and you have an open and allowed claim, you may be eligible for certain benefits. If your condition is not approved for treatment and you believe the condition is a result of your injury or occupational disease, your physician must provide documentation that establishes that relationship. You can receive end-of-life benefits if your diagnosis is accepted as part of your claim. L&I benefits for workers who are terminally ill include:
- Standard medical care and treatment
- Travel reimbursement
- Psychiatric care
- End-of-life care or hospice
- Survivor benefits
- Burial benefits
Survivor Benefits
If you are the surviving spouse of someone who dies from a work-related injury or occupational disease, you and your spouse’s children are eligible to receive a monthly pension. The amount of the pension is calculated using the same formula for establishing time-loss compensation payments; 60-75% of the worker’s total wages and certain benefits while taking into account the number of dependents.
Survivors will also receive an immediate cash payment amounting to 100% of the state’s average monthly wage. This calculation is made by the Department of Employment and Security and is adjusted annually. Also, L&I will pay burial or cremation expenses of up to 200% of the state’s average monthly wage.
Pension payments are made monthly for the worker’s children at the time of injury, and continue until the children are 18 or 23 if they are full-time students at an accredited school. If a dependent child is an invalid, monthly pension payments are made until he or she is no longer dependent. In cases where there is no spouse or dependent children, certain relatives may be eligible for survivor benefits if they can prove financial dependency on the worker.
In the event a surviving spouse remarries, his or her benefits do not continue. Instead, he or she may elect to receive a lump sum settlement, or in lieu of the settlement, may keep the right to receive monthly pension payments again if the marriage ends because of death or divorce.
Contact Us
The end of our lives is difficult to think about and plan for. If your doctor has diagnosed you with a terminal disease or condition related to your employment, we understand that this is a challenging time. Call us today and let our experienced and compassionate Seattle Workman’s Compensation Attorneys take some of the burden off of you by guiding you through the complex process of filing your L&I claim.
Contact Seattle Worker’s Compensation Attorneys
If you are interested in learning more about your legal options, call the Phillips Law Firm at 1-800-708-6000. Our Seattle worker’s compensation attorneys are waiting to assist you 24/7, offering a free case evaluation. Remember our no fee promise. If we do not recover anything for you, you do not owe us an attorney fee.
The workers’ compensation lawyers at Phillips Law Firm have successfully represented injured individuals and their families in Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, Bellevue, Everett, Kent, Auburn, Renton, Federal Way, Bellingham, Marysville, Lakewood, Redmond, Shoreline, and throughout the State of Washington.