My Spouse Died From Covid-19 & I Can’t Afford Burial Costs
Published on May 4th, 2020 by The Illinois Hammer Injury Law Firm
My Spouse Died From Covid-19 & I Can’t Afford Burial Costs
Who can help?
In these trying times it is more important than ever to give thanks to the workers that put their lives on the line to keep our community running. The Illinois Hammer Injury Law Firm commends these workers. Some of our brave essential workers gave their life. If your spouse has died from COVID-19 and you cannot afford burial costs the deceased’s spouse could be entitled to receive financial support. Please note, this only applies for those who were essential workers. Support comes from their employer’s workers’ compensation insurance.
Under the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act and the Illinois Workers’ Occupational Diseases Act there are protections in place to help pay for funeral expenses. In Illinois, if your spouse died due to Covid-19, the deceased employee’s dependents are entitled to certain compensation. This is pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Workers’ Occupational Diseases Act.
You may receive assistance in more than just burial costs
However, this is not all you could be entitled to if your spouse has died due to contracting COVID-19 as an essential worker. The Workers’ Compensation Act also addresses if the employer failed to provide necessary first aid, medical, surgical or hospital service. The employer then must pay the cost of medical expenses. This means not only are the survivors of the deceased entitled to burial costs, but the employer may also be responsible for the outstanding hospital bills.
If the above may apply to you, please do not hesitate to contact the Illinois Hammer Injury Law Firm. We can help you navigate through these laws to ensure that you are receiving the compensation you deserve. We have authored a chapter on death claims in the Workers’ Compensation handbook that other attorneys rely on. Our firm is well-versed in this area and we are ready to help you. You are not in this alone.
We feature regular updates on our Facebook and Twitter. Please follow us for more information.
Tags: burial costs, Covid-19 deaths, workers' compensation, Workers' Rights
