Bill > HB5179

This bill modifies Michigan's Workers' Disability Compensation Act to update several provisions related to death benefits and worker compensation. The bill expands the conclusive presumption of dependency for a spouse, changing the period from a variable timeframe to a fixed 208-week period after an employee's death, during which the spouse is automatically considered wholly dependent. It also updates the age definition for dependent children from under 16 to under 18 years old, and clarifies language around dependency and compensation calculations. The bill increases the funeral and burial expense reimbursement from $6,000 to $12,000 and makes technical language changes throughout the statute, such as replacing "persons" with "individuals" and modernizing grammatical constructions. Additionally, the bill provides provisions for how compensation should be divided among dependents, including scenarios involving remarriage, children's dependency status, and partial dependency. The changes aim to provide clearer guidelines and potentially more comprehensive support for workers' families in cases of workplace-related death or disability.

Government Affairs

https://legislature.mi.gov/Bills/Bill?ObjectName=2025-HB-5179