Workers Compensation Newsletters
Compensation for longshore, harbor, and maritime workers
The LHWCA provides medical benefits, compensation for lost wages, and rehabilitative services. Additionally, should an employee suffer a fatal injury, the LHWCA provides for survivor benefits and the payment of reasonable funeral expenses. Eligible survivors include not only spouses and children, but also siblings, parents, grandparents, and grandchildren. However, the existence of a widowed spouse and child would preclude the receipt of benefits by the other beneficiaries.
Military Service and Social Security Benefits
An individual serving in the military pays Social Security taxes just as civilian employees do. For 2004, when a person earns $ 3,600 they have earned one year of work credit toward qualification for social security benefits. The benefit amount that a person receives is tied to the amount of his earnings, which are averaged over his working lifetime.
Nonprofit and Charitable Employers
Nonprofit and charitable employers are not treated the same in every state for purposes of workers' compensation. Some states expressly exclude them from the operation of the workers' compensation statute while others expressly include them or neglect to address them at all. Despite this, the majority of jurisdictions hold that nonprofit and charitable employers are, in fact, subject to the workers' compensation system. Such employers may include churches and synagogues, educational institutions, charitable organizations such as the Salvation Army that are designed to aid the community, and the like.
Social Security Disability Benefits Evaluation for Disabled Widows and Widowers and Surviving Divorced Spouses
Social security disability is open to disabled widows and widowers as well as surviving divorced spouses of wage earners who died fully insured under the terms of the Social Security Act. Determining the eligibility of these individuals is a complex matter and requires the consideration of a multitude of factors.
Time Requirements Related to Occupational Diseases
With respect to occupational diseases, there are several applicable time restraints including the time between exposure and disability, minimum time periods for exposure, and minimum time periods for an employee's residency. These time requirements vary markedly by state. The limitations period for occupational disease claims also varies widely. Some states bar the receipt of death benefits unless the claim is brought within a specified time after exposure. The majority of states take the view that the limitations period does not begin to run until such time that the claimant had knowledge of his condition and its relationship to his employment. Still another viewpoint on the limitations period is that it begins to run when the employee has become disabled as a result of the disease and with reasonable diligence could discover that the condition is compensable.
