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Georgia Workers’ Compensation Death Benefits – Secondary Beneficiaries

In my last blog post in this series, I discussed how long primary beneficiaries/dependents can receive dependency benefits.  In this blog post, I will discuss when secondary beneficiary dependents are entitled to workers’ compensation dependency benefits in Georgia.  I will also discuss the benefits they can receive.

Who can qualify as a secondary beneficiary

Secondary beneficiaries are dependents (people who looked to the deceased worker for financial support) other than the spouse or children of the deceased worker.   These dependents could include family members (such as a mother, father, grandchild, or grandparent) or friends.  To receive benefits, the dependent’s dependency on the deceased worker must have existed at the time that the deceased worker’s work injury.  It also must have existed to some extent at least three months prior to the work-related injury.

When can secondary beneficiaries receive benefits?

The workers’ compensation law in Georgia provides benefits for secondary beneficiary dependents only in instances where there are no primary beneficiary dependents (spouse and/or children) receiving benefits.  When there are no primary dependents receiving benefits, those people who qualify as secondary dependents can receive benefits.

Types of secondary beneficiaries

There are two categories of secondary dependents:

  1. Total secondary dependents
  2. Partial secondary dependents.

Total secondary dependents are people who were totally dependent on the deceased worker for support at the time of the work accident.  Partial secondary dependents are individuals who were only partially dependent on the deceased worker for support at the time of the work accident.  As long as there is a secondary beneficiary who is a total dependent, then no partial secondary dependent can receive benefits.  If there are no primary beneficiaries and no totally dependent secondary beneficiaries, then partial secondary dependents can receive benefits.

How long can secondary beneficiaries receive benefits?

There is no specific time frame provided for how long totally dependent secondary beneficiaries can receive benefits.  The law only specifies that they can receive benefits “during their dependency”.  Potentially, a totally dependent secondary beneficiary could draw workers’ compensation dependency benefits for the rest of his or her life.

For partially dependent secondary beneficiaries, there is a more specific limit.  Benefits end at age 65 or after 400 weeks of benefits, whichever provides greater benefits.  Of course, benefits would also end sooner if the personstops being dependent.

Workers’ compensation deaths are tragic events.  After the death, there are so many things on the mind of family and friends that workers’ compensation benefits are probably the last thing they are thinking about.  However, it is important to know, that there are time limits known as statutes of limitations requiring that claims for dependency benefits be filed within a certain time of the work related injury or death.  It can be very important to act quickly so that you do not lose your rights.  If you know of anyone who has questions about a work-related death or possible dependency benefits or anything else to do with workers’ compensation, Cliff Perkins, Jason Perkins, and Travis Studdard specialize in workers’ compensation claims and are happy to provide a free consultation to answer those questions.  To reach them, you can simply fill out the “Need Help” form or call the phone number on the right side of this page.

What if I have other questions about workers compensation?

Georgia’s workers compensation system can be very confusing.  You have to worry about getting the treatment you need and paying your bills while also worrying about not missing any deadlines that could cause you to lose your right to receive workers compensation benefits.

If you have questions, I would recommend that you try to get answers.  To find out more about how to schedule a time to talk to me about your workers compensation questions, just read this short article.

Jason Perkins is an attorney who specializes in representing injured workers.  He regularly publishes videos and write blog articles about Georgia’s workers compensation system and issues that are important to injured workers and their families.

To be notified of Jason’s new workers compensation videos, subscribe to his Georgia Workers Compensation Video Series channel on YouTube by clicking the subscribe button below.

Brittney-lee orourkeBrittney-lee orourke
05:23 18 Feb 22
Amazing! Jason and his team were very helpful and had the best communication by far. Walked me though every step with great detail and had answers for any question I had. They handled my case better then I could imagine, it was a weird case and they stayed on top of it and kept me updated every step of the way! Highly recommend this Team! Thanks so much to Jason and his Awesome team!-Brittney
China JonesChina Jones
18:58 08 Feb 22
I absolutely love this group of attorneys, when I was at my lowest they did everything they could to help me get justice for my injury. I believe if I were to have never picked my phone up and called the amazing group that helped me I definitely would not have received my idea of rights. If you have an issue and are just not sure please understand that they will help you, stay in contact, answer any question you have, and for sure get you the justice you deserve I thank them from the bottom of my heart and I will definitely refer them to anyone who has been hurt because they most definitely care about their work and clients.
Luv LocsLuv Locs
16:08 15 Jan 22
The entire law office was attentive and responsive to all of my concerns dealing with my workers compensation case.
moombimoombi
21:14 02 Jan 22
If you must get a lawyer involved, you’d do well to work with Jason Perkins and his team at Perkins Studdard Law.They were thorough in gathering information and in sharing all the steps in the workers comp process specific to my case. Jason and the team were responsive to my bevy of questions and concerns.I appreciated the informative videos and consultations provided by Jason over video meetings and multiple phone calls.I hope I’m never injured on the job again. However, if I am and if my employer responds as my previous employer did, I’ll contact Perkins Studdard Law immediately to handle the case.
Dana BessDana Bess
23:57 10 Dec 21
Everyone at Perkins Studdard was kind and professional. They were always extremely responsive and answered all questions that I had and followed up to make sure I had an understanding of what was going on along with emailing videos to explain every step of my case so I would know what to expect and be prepared. Jason is a very genuine person and I trusted him with my case. He answered so many questions for me even before I retained him as my WC lawyer. I highly recommend him and his associates at Perkins Studdard.
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