An Act relative to workers’ compensation funeral benefits

This bill proposes to increase the maximum amount available for workers' compensation funeral benefits in Massachusetts. Currently, the state caps these expenses at eight times the average weekly wage, but the legislation would raise this limit to twenty-five thousand dollars or ten times the average weekly wage, whichever is higher. The change applies to funeral and memorial costs associated with unplanned deaths, covering items such as visitation services, flowers, caskets, death notices, and headstones. Directly affected parties include employees who die on the job and their families, as well as the insurance carriers responsible for paying these benefits.