Death benefits: payment duration.

Existing law establishes a workers' compensation system, administered by the Administrative Director of the Division of Workers' Compensation, that generally requires employers to secure the payment of workers' compensation for injuries incurred by their employees that arise out of, and in the course of, employment. Existing law provides certain methods for determining workers' compensation benefits payable to a worker or his or her dependents for purposes of temporary disability, permanent total disability, permanent partial disability, and in the case of death. Existing law provides that totally dependent minor children of a deceased worker shall receive death benefits until the youngest child attains 18 years of age, or until the death of a child physically or mentally incapacitated from earning, at a weekly rate of at least $224. This bill would extend death benefits until the youngest child attains 19 years of age if the child is still attending high school and is receiving the benefits as a child of certain public employees killed in the performance of duty.