102.48 Death benefit, continued. If no person who survives the deceased employee is wholly dependent upon the deceased employee for support, partial dependency and death benefits therefor shall be as follows:
(1) An unestranged surviving parent or parents to whose support the deceased has contributed less than $500 in the 52 weeks next preceding the injury causing death shall receive a death benefit of $6,500. If the parents are not living together, the department or the division shall divide this sum in such proportion as the department or division considers to be just, considering their ages and other facts bearing on dependency.
(2) In all other cases the death benefit shall be such sum as the department or the division determines to represent fairly and justly the aid to support which the dependent might reasonably have anticipated from the deceased employee but for the injury. To establish anticipation of support and dependency, it shall not be essential that the deceased employee made any contribution to support. The aggregate benefits in that case shall not exceed twice the average annual earnings of the deceased or 4 times the contributions of the deceased to the support of his or her dependents during the year immediately preceding the deceased employee's death, whichever amount is the greater. In no event shall the aggregate benefits in that case exceed the amount that would accrue to a person who is solely and wholly dependent. When there is more than one partial dependent the weekly benefit shall be apportioned according to their relative dependency. The term “support" as used in ss. 102.42 to 102.63 shall include contributions to the capital fund of the dependents for their necessary comfort.
(3) Except as otherwise provided, a death benefit, other than burial expenses, shall be paid in weekly installments corresponding in amount to two-thirds of the weekly earnings of the employee, until otherwise ordered by the department or the division.
History: 1975 c. 147; 1979 c. 278; 1989 a. 64; 1993 a. 492; 2015 a. 55.
Structure Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
Chapter 102 - Worker's compensation.
102.03 - Conditions of liability.
102.04 - Definition of employer.
102.05 - Election by employer, withdrawal.
102.06 - Joint liability of employer and contractor.
102.075 - Election by sole proprietor, partner or member.
102.076 - Election by corporate officer.
102.077 - Election by school district or private school.
102.078 - Election by real estate firm.
102.08 - Administration for state employees.
102.11 - Earnings, method of computation.
102.12 - Notice of injury, exception, laches.
102.123 - Statement of employee.
102.125 - Fraud reporting, investigation, and prosecution.
102.13 - Examination; competent witnesses; exclusion of evidence; autopsy.
102.14 - Jurisdiction of department and division; advisory committee.
102.16 - Submission of disputes, contributions by employees.
102.17 - Procedure; notice of hearing; witnesses, contempt; testimony, medical examination.
102.175 - Apportionment of liability.
102.18 - Findings, orders and awards.
102.19 - Alien dependents; payments through consular officers.
102.195 - Employees confined in institutions; payment of benefits.
102.21 - Payment of awards by local governmental units.
102.22 - Penalty for delayed payments; interest.
102.25 - Appeal from judgment on award.
102.27 - Claims and awards protected; exceptions.
102.28 - Preference of claims; worker's compensation insurance.
102.29 - Third party liability.
102.30 - Other insurance not affected; liability of insured employer.
102.31 - Worker's compensation insurance; policy regulations.
102.315 - Worker's compensation insurance; employee leasing companies.
102.32 - Continuing liability; guarantee settlement, gross payment.
102.33 - Forms and records; public access.
102.38 - Records and reports of payments.
102.40 - Reports not evidence in actions.
102.42 - Incidental compensation.
102.425 - Prescription and nonprescription drug treatment.
102.43 - Weekly compensation schedule.
102.45 - Benefits payable to minors; how paid.
102.47 - Death benefit, continued.
102.48 - Death benefit, continued.
102.49 - Additional death benefit for children, state fund.
102.52 - Permanent partial disability schedule.
102.53 - Multiple injury variations.
102.54 - Injury to dominant hand.
102.55 - Application of schedules.
102.555 - Occupational deafness; definitions.
102.565 - Toxic or hazardous exposure; medical examination; conditions of liability.
102.57 - Violations of safety provisions, penalty.
102.58 - Decreased compensation.
102.59 - Preexisting disability, indemnity.
102.60 - Minor illegally employed.
102.61 - Indemnity under rehabilitation law.
102.62 - Primary and secondary liability; unchangeable.
102.64 - Attorney general shall represent state and commission.
102.65 - Work injury supplemental benefit fund.
102.66 - Payment of certain barred claims.
102.75 - Administrative expenses.
102.80 - Uninsured employers fund.
102.81 - Compensation for injured employee of uninsured employer.
102.82 - Uninsured employer payments.
102.83 - Collection of uninsured employer payments.
102.835 - Levy for delinquent payments.
102.84 - Preference of required payments.
102.85 - Uninsured employers; penalties.