An Act Expanding Compensation To Dependents For A Death Resulting From An Accident.
Summary
HB 6408 amends Connecticut’s workers’ compensation death benefits statute to expand how compensation is paid when an employee dies from an accident and there are no presumptive dependents. Under current law, benefits may be paid to persons wholly dependent in fact or to next of kin; this bill keeps that framework but clarifies and preserves the rules for dividing benefits among those dependents. It also maintains the maximum duration of payments at 312 weeks from the date of death.
The bill specifies that wholly dependent factual dependents receive the full compensation rate. For partially dependent factual dependents, the total weekly compensation cannot exceed the full compensation rate, cannot be less than $20 per week, and cannot exceed the amount the deceased had been contributing weekly if that amount was above $20. The bill is set to take effect July 1, 2025, and would amend General Statutes section 31-306(a)(6).
Impact
The bill would modify Connecticut workers’ compensation law by changing the death-benefit distribution rules for cases involving no presumptive dependents, affecting employers, insurers, and surviving family members or other dependents who rely on accident-related death benefits. It does not create a new benefit category, but it expands and clarifies compensation eligibility and payment allocation for factual dependents and next of kin under section 31-306(a)(6).
Sentiment
The bill appears to have broad support in committee and in the Appropriations Committee, with unanimous or near-unanimous favorable votes in Labor and Public Employees and a strong favorable vote in Appropriations. The available record shows no committee transcript debate, suggesting the proposal was not especially controversial at the committee stage and was generally viewed positively as a workers’ compensation adjustment.
Contention
The main policy issue is how far to extend death benefits to dependents who are not presumptive dependents, especially partially dependent individuals and next of kin. Potential points of contention include the cost impact on the workers’ compensation system and employers, the fairness of benefit distribution among dependents, and whether the statutory minimum and maximum payment rules adequately reflect modern family and dependency arrangements. However, the vote history indicates little visible opposition in committee.